E3 2012: Vita News Trickles Out

If only Sony had some kind of big, public presentation in which they could've gotten the word out.

By Matthew Pollesel (Jun 5, 2012)

Considering how light Sony's E3 press conference was on PlayStation Vita-related information, you can forgive owners of the handheld for feeling a little concerned about its future.

While such worry is understandable (and, speaking as a Vita owner, shared), it's worth noting that Sony has very quietly released bits and pieces of information that should temper some of the anxiety.

First off, the company announced a number of cross-platform features between the Vita and the PS3. Among them:

Cross-Play, which allows for players to go up against each other;
Cross-Controller, which allows players to use their Vitas as PS3 controllers (and was demoed during the E3 presentation on Little Big Planet 2);
Cross-Save, which will allow for sharing game saves between the two systems;
Remote Play, which will give players a chance to play PS3 games directly on their Vitas; and
Cross-Goods, which will allow DLC purchased on one system to be accessible on the other.

The number of games on which these features will work is only a handful at present (and includes games like Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and MLB 12: The Show), but the press releases promises that the features will also be included on upcoming games like Sly Cooper: Thives in Time, Sound Shapes and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Secondly, while both games were no-shows as far as Sony's presentation went, they very quietly released a pair of trailers for upcoming Vita games: Soul Sacrifice and Little Big Planet. In fact, according to IGN, the latter game has one interesting feature -- a "Create" suite -- which could "could singlehandedly end the game drought on Vita", as users would have the ability to use the game to design and share standalone titles.

Third, August will see the release of a Madden 13 Vita bundle, which will include the system, a game and a memory card.

Lastly, it's not news from Sony, but it's still worth mentioning: Earth Defense Force is headed for the Vita this fall. The bad news: at present it's Japan-only. Still, if you're a fan of killing giant bugs and over-the-top mayhem, it's something worth keeping an eye on.