LOS ANGELES, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. (SCEA) today announced at its annual press conference at the E3 Media & Business Summit an outstanding line-up of PlayStation® exclusive content for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) and PlayStation®3 (PS3™) systems, brand new products that leverage the unique motion control features of the PlayStation®Move motion controller, an enhancement to the PlayStation®Plus membership program, and a partnership with HTC to support PlayStation®Mobile, which was renamed from PlayStation®Suite today, that further establishes PlayStation as the ultimate destination for fans of compelling gaming and entertainment experiences.
“For more than 17 years, PlayStation has stood for everything gamers love – exhilarating experiences that transcend entertainment. When you play in our world, there are no limitations of the imagination,” said Jack Tretton, CEO and President of SCEA. “Powerful new gameplay experiences delivered on PS Vita, a deep and exclusive software line-up for PS3 that is the benchmark of the industry, and entertainment services that have the gamer at heart, demonstrate that the PlayStation ecosystem is more vibrant than ever. Our commitment to innovation and jaw-dropping entertainment for gamers is at the core of the experiences that you will continue to see from PlayStation in 2012 and beyond.”
PlayStation®Vita
Since its North American launch last February, the PS Vita system has introduced new ways to play, delivered console-like gameplay experiences and offered the most powerful and connected portable entertainment system ever created. By combining the PS Vita system with the industry’s most popular gaming franchises, consumers get a complete portable entertainment package at an incredible value. Starting on October 30th, the Assassin’s Creed® III Liberation PS Vita Bundle will be available featuring a crystal white PS Vita Wi-Fi system, 4GB Memory Card and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed® III Liberation game on a PS Vita game card.
Continuing its legacy of innovative content, SCEA showcased a robust collection of software titles developed exclusively for the PS Vita system. Featured titles including Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time™, LittleBigPlanet™, and PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale all utilize the platform’s groundbreaking technology to deliver immersive, interactive and social gameplay available on-the-go. For the first time in the franchise’s 10 year history, fans can now take Sly Cooper with them outside of the home via Cross-Save functionality. With this interoperable compatibility between the PS3 and PS Vita systems, users can save their progress and take their Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time campaign on the road to continue. Also making use of PS Vita’s unique feature set, LittleBigPlanet allows users to Play, Create and Share like never before with the system’s front touch screen and rear touch pad, tilt capabilities, microphone, and its front and rear cameras in this brand new mobile adventure for Sackboy™. Finally, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale brings together iconic first and third party PlayStation characters for the first time in a classic brawler that allows players to take their PS Vita system and battle PS3 gamers in real time through the title’s Cross-Play functionality. Adding to this selection of innovative games, SCEA featured a collection of PS Vita titles that will be available including Sound Shapes, Smart As, Soul Sacrifice, PulzAR, and Table Top Tanks, and also announced that PlayStation®one Classics will be supported on PS Vita following a system software update, scheduled for this summer.
PlayStation®3
Now in its sixth year, the PS3 system continues to experience tremendous momentum while delivering more entertainment value to consumers than ever before. With more than 63.9 million PS3 units across the world to date and more than 3,100 games available worldwide, PS3 is the premiere destination for at-home entertainment. Expanding the PS3 system’s industry-leading catalog of blockbuster games, SCEA presented a selection of new entries from fan-favorite series featuring full stereoscopic 3D support including God of War: Ascension™ and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time™. PS3 owners can also look forward to exclusive AAA content in the form of BEYOND: Two Souls™, The Last of Us™, LittleBigPlanet™ Karting and PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale, along with unique PlayStation®Network and indie games, including Sound Shapes, When Vikings Attack, Journey Collection™, and The Unfinished Swan. Additionally, LittleBigPlanet™ 2 will be debuting its cross-control functionality that will allow players to experience the game in a brand new way. LittleBigPlanet 2 owners can now use the PS Vita system as an enhanced controller for the PS3 system, enabling them to Play, Create and Share with their PS3 and PS Vita systems at home together. Furthering its commitment to delivering value to consumers, SCEA today announced the availability of the Assassin’s Creed III PlayStation 3 bundle at major retailers across the U.S. this October, which brings together the PS3 system with Ubisoft’s highly-anticipated Assassin’s Creed III game on Blu-ray disc.
PlayStation®Move
In addition to an extensive software lineup, SCE today announced Wonderbook™: Book of Spells, the first title that uses Wonderbook, the innovative new PS3 peripheral to incorporate augmented reality as a unique way to tell and share stories for children and families. The first product from Sony’s partnership with Pottermore, Book of Spells brings wizardry to life, featuring exclusive content written by J.K. Rowling and introducing players to the Harry Potter universe using the PlayStation®Move (PS Move) and the PlayStation®Eye camera. SCE also unveiled the upcoming availability of the PlayStation®Move Racing Wheel, a new peripheral for PS3 that will work seamlessly with the PS Move motion controller. Designed to deliver the ultimate racing experience, the PlayStation Move Racing Wheel features folding motorcycle handlebars with twist grip throttle, fast access paddle shifters, and enhanced vibration feedback to give consumers a fun and intuitive racing experience no matter what vehicle they are driving. Available this Fall for $39.99 (MSRP), the PlayStation Move Racing Wheel will support recently announced titles such as LittleBigPlanet™ Karting in addition to PS3 favorites like MotorStorm®Apocalypse, Gran Turismo® 5, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Burnout Paradise™ and many more. Moreover, SCEA featured Sports Champions 2, the sequel to the best-selling PS Move title Sports Champions, which features six pulse-pounding events, including five new games and an update to the fan-favorite Archery event from the first title.
PlayStation®Plus
PlayStation Network announced an enhancement to its PlayStation®Plus premium membership, providing consumers with an instant game collection for less than $5 a month. As of June 5th at 2:00pm PT, popular titles like Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One™, inFAMOUS™ 2, LittleBigPlanet™ 2, and many more from first-and-third party partners, will be part of a library of great games instantly available to PlayStation Plus members. New games will be added regularly, so subscribers will never run out of fun games to play. As always, PlayStation Plus members also enjoy exclusive access to betas, huge discounts, online storage for games, and much more. PlayStation®Plus can be purchased through PlayStation® Store on the PS3 system by clicking on the PlayStation Plus category. One-year memberships are available for $49.99 (MSRP) and three-month memberships cost just $17.99 (MSRP).
HTC Partnership for PlayStation®Mobile
SCE announced HTC Corporation (HTC) will join the PlayStation™Certified license program(*1). By collaborating with HTC, a global designer of smartphones and the world’s first company to launch Android-powered devices, SCE aims to deliver the PlayStation® experience to even more users around the world. In addition to third party developers and publishers as well as a wide range of content developers who have agreed to develop content for PlayStation®Suite, SCE Worldwide Studios is developing attractive games. SCE is positioned to grow the world of PlayStation across mobile devices with the progress of content development and the expansion of PlayStation Certified devices. In conjunction with this development, SCE will rename PlayStation Suite to PlayStation®Mobile, and position it as a new platform. SCE will further accelerate the expansion of PlayStation Certified devices and continue to collaborate with content developers to drive the delivery of compelling entertainment experiences through PlayStation Mobile.
(*1) The license program to expand PS Mobile, dedicated for portable hardware manufacturers. SCE will not only license logos but also provide necessary development support. As of June 5, 2012, the line-up of PlayStation™Certified devices include the HTC One series of smartphones, HTC One™ X, HTC One™ S, and HTC One™ V. Content developed with official version of PlayStation®Mobile SDK will be available on those devices later this year, also Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ acro, Xperia™ PLAY, Xperia™ acro HD, Xperia™ S, Xperia™ ion, Xperia™ acro S from Sony Mobile Communications AB, and “Sony Tablet” S and “Sony Tablet” P from Sony Corporation. Model name may vary by region. Sales model may vary by area.. Software Development Kit is a set of development tools and software libraries. Developers are able to obtain this SDK by signing a license agreement with SCE.