- PS Vita games can be purchased as boxed copies or as digital downloads from the PSN Store. Incredibly, the DD versions will actually be cheaper than boxed copies for a change!
- For example, Uncharted: Golden Abyss will be available in Japan for 5,980 yen ($78 USD) as a boxed product while the DD will be 4,900 yen ($64 USD). In the US it will be $44.99 for the DD and $49.99 for the packaged version.

- The Guardian sat down with Takashi Sogabe, PS Vita's designer, and Shuhei Yoshida, Sony's head of games development, to talk about the upcoming Vita launch.
- Sogabe revealed the Vita could have had a larger screen, used a clam-shell format and would have been thinner if they could have squeezed in all the tech. The Dual Analogue sticks were also apparently difficult to build.

PSP Go No Longer in Production for Japan and Europe

- The PSP Go is no longer in production for Japan and Europe, but America will charge on.
- SCEE and SCEJ to focus on PSP-3000 until the NGP ships.
- Playstation.com announced as much, for Japan at least.
- Joyqtiq got word from SCEA that they aren't stopping the Go just yet.

Xperia Play Set for March, Specs Announced

- The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, aka the PlayStation Phone, will be out globally in March. It will arrive in the US first, shortly followed by Europe.
- The specs include 400 MB RAM and a 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7, running Google's Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread.

Basics
Phone memory: 400 MB
Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7
Operating system: Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Memory card support: microSD, up to 32 GB (8 GB included)
Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
Weight: 175 grams
Connection: Micro USB

Gaming
Legacy PlayStation games to be released, (i.e. PSOne games downloadable through PlayStation Suite)
Dedicated gaming keys
Flash Lite
Gesture gaming
Motion gaming

Battery life
Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 8 hrs 25 min
Gameplay time: Up to 5 hrs 35 min
MP3 playback: Up to 30 hrs 35 min

Camera
5.1 megapixel camera
Auto focus
Flash
Geo tagging
Image stabiliser
Video recording

Music
Album art
Bluetooth stereo
Google Music Player
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
PlayNow service
Sony Ericsson Music player
Stereo speakers
TrackID music recognition application
Polyphonic ringtones
Speakerphone
Sound recorder
3.5 mm audio jack

Internet
Android Market
Google search
Google Voice Search

Sony Ericsson Xepria Play or PlayStation Phone Revealed

- At the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona yesterday Sony Ericsson finally officially revealed the Xperia Play, the worst kept secret of 2011's tech world so far, a.k.a. the PlayStation Phone.
- Check out the video of the unveiling yourself:

Sony NGP Gameplay Footage

- Take a look at these two minutes of gameplay footage of games in development for the Sony Next Generation Platform.
- Big names are shown off, including Killzone, Uncharted and Resistance, as well as new features like the touch screen, gyroscope and touchable back, (yes, the back of the console is like a laptop's trackpad.)

Sony's Next Generation Portable Announced

- After all of the rumours, we finally see an announcement for Sony's Next Generation Portable, or NGP, which we might more commonly have dubbed the PSP2.
- There are videos of the PlayStation Meeting 2011 held on January 27 now up on Sony's website to see the unveiling for yourself.

TN Hen 6.20

- Wololo.net has a great section on Total_Noob's Homebrew Enabler, or TN Hen as it is known.
- TN Hen is a piece of software that allows you to run unsigned software, (i.e. homebrew software,) directly from the XMB on a PSP Official Firmware.
- It currently supports the PSP OFW v6.20.

ISO Loaders released for PSP Go

- The PSPGo has no UMD drive, so any games that do not have a downloadable version released, (or any games you already paid for on UMD and don't want to buy again,) are unplayable.
- Not anymore thanks to two ISO Loaders, now available. Wololo.net has both of them:
-- Prometheus Iso Loader by Liquidzigong
-- OpenIdea ISO Loader by Dridri

PlayStation Phone Pictures and Videos

- The PlayStation Phone is getting hard for Sony to deny at this point.
- Chinese website IT168.com has a 10 page article, (link is translated to English via Google,) with images and impressions of the rumoured phone.
- There are videos too, but only viewable in China. Engadget has copies viewable from elsewhere.
- It appears to be a Sony Xperia branded phone, roughly comparable in size to a PSP-Go. The specs seem pretty good too, with:
-- Android 2.3, (expected to be Android 3.0 by the time the phone launches)
-- Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU
-- 1GHz Snapdragon QSD8255 CPU
-- 1500 mAh battery
-- 854 x 480 4-inch LCD
-- 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
-- 512MB RAM
-- 512MB ROM
-- microSD slot
-- micro-USB
-- second mic on the back for active noise cancellation
- TGBus.com (link is translated to English via Google,) has more images, comparing the phone to several other gadgets including the PSP-1000, the PSP Go, DSi, GBA SP and several other Xperia models.

PSP Go Sale

- Amazon have a Cyber Monday deal for a PSP Go with 3 games for only $150, (that is $50 or 25% off):

PSP Go Price Cuts

Joystiq points out Sony has announced price cuts for the PSP Go in Japan to ¥16,800, in the US to $199 and in the UK to £159.99.

Sony Release New US PSP Deals

- Sony North America have announced several new deals for new and old PSP players.
- First a voucher for three free games will be included with the purchase of a PSP Go system from now through 31st March 2011:
* Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
* LittleBigPlanet
* SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3
- They are also introducing a line of super-cheap $10 PSP games as "PSP Favorites":
* Ape Escape: On the Loose
* Buzz! Master Quiz
* Hot Shots Golf Open Tee
* LocoRoco 2
* Patapon 2
* PixelJunk Monster Deluxe
* SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo
* Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
* Twisted Metal: Head On
* Justice League Heroes
* Manhunt 2
* Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play
* Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection
* Silent Hill: Origins
* Sims 2
* The Warriors
- Finally, the $20 "Greatest Hits" collection gets a boost:
* Gran Turismo
* LittleBigPlanet
* Resistance: Retribution
* Secret Agent Clank

Sony Offers PlayStation Protection Plan for PSP and PS3

- Sony have announced the PlayStation Protection Plan, an official extended warranty scheme in the US for PSP and PS3.
- For a one-year extension on your PS3 it will cost $44.99, with two-year plans costing $59.99.
- The PSP plan is $29.99 for one year and $39.99 for two years.
- There is an "accidental damage" option for $10 more.

Motion Control on PSP with Datel TiltFX accessory

- Datel will soon release the TiltFX, a new accessory that promises to add motion controls to "all games" on the PSP.
- A dongle plugged into the headphone port is able to replace the functions of the standard D-Pad and analog stick, with customized profiles for specific games, (like WipEout, LocoRoco, and Super Monkey Ball,) to tweak the experience for the better.
- Available soon for £14.99 or $19.99, compatible with all PSPs except the Go.
- http://www.tiltfx.com/

PSP Digital Comics Store Now Available

- The comic store has now launched with hundreds of title from Marvel, IDW, Titan, iVerse and 2000AD.
- Check PlayStationComics.com for listings.

EU PSP Go Owners Get A Free Game

- European PSP Go owners are eligible to receive a free copy of Gran Turismo, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge or Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines (or, in Germany, LittleBigPlanet) until January 10.
- More info from Sony.

Blu-ray Digital Copy for PSP

- From Joystiq:

"Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally debuted the first batch of Blu-ray discs that take advantage of Digital Copy for PSP. With this feature, people that own both a PS3 and a PSP will be able to copy a portable version of a movie directly from a Blu-ray disc to Sony's handheld. Well, almost directly.
There are a few steps you must take to activate the PSP copy. When you insert the Blu-ray disc into the PS3, you'll see two icons appear on the XMB, one that allows you to store a SD version of the movie to your PS3 hard drive. You must be logged on to the PlayStation Network and then enter a unique 12-digit code included with the disc. Once the activation process is complete, a 2GB file will transfer to your PS3. You can watch this movie on the hard drive (but why would you when you have the Blu-ray disc?), or you can copy it over to the PSP -- a process which takes about five minutes total.
The video quality of the "Digital Copy" is fantastic, especially on the PSP's smaller screen. Unfortunately, the initial batch of movies leaves a lot to be desired: Godzilla (the 1998 American version), The Ugly Truth and Angels & Demons. Hopefully, SPHE will start implementing the feature on some ... y'know, good movies in the future."

PS3 Firmware v3.15 - Play PSP Minis on PS3

- PS3 Firmware v3.15 is out now and adds support for playing PSP Minis on the PS3.
- Like PSone classics, buy the game once from the PlayStation Store and it will work on both platforms.
- If you have already bought a Mini on your PSP and want to play it on your PS3, access it from the Store's archived Download List.
- Only five titles work at first, ("Blast Off", "Echoes", "Kahoots", "Stand O' Food" and "Zombie Tycoon",) the rest coming next week.

Firmware Update v6.20 Released

- Update v6.20 is out with a few minor updates:

-- The importing of playlists from the Media Go application is now supported under [Video].
-- The importing of playlists from the PlayStation 3 system or the Media Go application is now supported under [Photo].
-- The [TV] category has been integrated into the new [Extras] category in the XMB menu. Compatible models: PSP-2000, PSP-2005, PSP-3000, PSP-N1000, PSP-N1005

- The big addition though is the "PlayStation Network Digital Comics Reader" under a new "Extras" section of the XMB.
- However the service won't go live until December in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Japan will be getting a manga service slightly earlier. French, Italian, German and Spanish stores will follow in early 2010.
- Check out the PlayStation Comics website to get a free comic!