Sony confirmed in a press release, as well as in emails to PSN users, that this Tuesday, February 7th, the PSN name will be no more. The PSN will be changing into the SEN (Sony Entertainment Network). The email assures us that this is “a change in name only.” Your username and password will remain the same, and anything you purchased for your PSN account will now belong to your SEN account. The email notes a software update will coincide with the name change, however, “this change will not be applied to the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system at this time,” probably because the new features will not be available on the PSP. Privacy Policy and Terms of Service will also be updated with this change, and, of coures, “you will be asked to agree to ‘them’ if you wish to continue using your Sony Entertainment Network account.” So what do you think? Sad day for us long time PSN fans, or a step in the right direction for Home Entertainment? If you haven’t read it yet, you can read the entire email after the jump. On February 7, 2012, Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (“SNEI”) will update its Terms of Service and User Agreement and its Privacy Policy. As a part of this update, your “PlayStation®Network account” will be renamed a “Sony Entertainment Network account” The first time you sign in to your Sony Entertainment Network account on or after February 7, 2012, you will be asked to agree to the new Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy with SNEI if you wish to continue using your Sony Entertainment Network account. Please review all changes to the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy carefully before indicating your agreement. In particular, these are some of the additions and changes we have to these agreements: New terms for parents of minor, subaccount holders regarding the limitations of chat parental controls. Your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to the sharing of your child’s data that may occur if your child utilizes certain communication functionalities on PlayStation devices such as PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems. New terms that explain the location-based services offered through the PlayStation Vita system. For parents of minor, subaccount holders your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to your subaccount holder’s user of these services on the PlayStation Vita system. A description of our “What’s New” section, which provides topical information about our services and advertisements. Information about pre-ordering content. The name of your “PlayStation Network account” is changing to a “Sony Entertainment Network account.” You may click here to review the changes to the Terms of Service and User Agreement and you may click here to review the changes to the Privacy Policy. The rebranding of PlayStation Network accounts to Sony Entertainment Network accounts is a change in name only. Your username or password will not change, nor are we asking you to change them. On Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems, this rebranding will occur in connection with software updates for these devices. (Note, this change will not be applied to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system at this time.) This transition is based on Sony’s goal to enhance its unique digital entertainment offering. As a series of these activities Sony started last September, PlayStation Network will be aligned with “Sony Entertainment Network.” This helps us get closer to our goal of establishing a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account. The Sony Entertainment Network account also enables use of Sony’s compelling non-game services such as Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited and PlayMemories Online (currently called Personal Space) across a variety of network-connected devices. If you do not agree with the new Terms of Service and User Agreement or Privacy Policy, you may decline to accept them, and you will no longer be able to access your account. If you wish to close your account or request a refund of your wallet balance, or have any questions, please contact Customer Service by clicking here. For more information, please click here. Thank you very much for being a customer!

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PSN is changing to the SEN this Tuesday

Well, I was almost late with this one, but to my credit, it is still technically Saturday in the states! Anyway, did a little bit of a hunt for you guys to find this one (it should actually be a quick one, but I’ve been wrong before). I wouldn’t say that it’s hard, but you might have to do some thinking on this one. First clue: “I want to keep things private.”

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Free Points Saturday | February 4th

Twisted Metal and David Jaffe. Two entities that the foggy city by the bay are not ready for. I ventured forth outside my east bay domicile around 2pm with the intention of being first in line. After a very droll BART ride to the city, I arrived at the San Francisco event greeted by a motley crüe of true believers. This should not be without surprise, since Jaffe and the Twisted Metal genre both have a more than loyal following. I proceed to setup camp seeing as how I’m posted up shop by 3pm and the festivities don’t start until 6pm. Not to worry though – king of PS3 media Jeff Rubenstein – steps into the fray and greets everyone warmly and takes a photo that surely would sweep into the folds of Internet for all time – plus a mention right on the Playstation twitter feed. Things progress and weird people show up. Things also escalate when some skinny-jeaned hipster decides that waiting at the end of the line is not cool and precedes to cut in front of the 70+ people that have been standing in line for the past two hours. Suddenly everyone looks to me being the resident big man in line to lay down the laws of line cutting and proper line educate. When was this job title handed to me and why didn’t I get some sort of memo? I saunter to where the perpetrator has nested in line and simply put it to him as such: “the end of line is that way” – gesturing to the end of line that has now wrapped around the corner of Mint Plaza and has grown…exponentially. Luckily for Mr. Black Rim Glasses, he gets the point and takes his place at the rear of the line. The sun quickly sets in the city and seeing as how the event is being held at the ass end of huge alley – it’s getting cold…and quick. I switch to my long sleeve t-shirt and as soon as my head pops through my San Francisco Giants t-shirt – guess who comes waking around the corner: David Jaffe. My head goes into panic mode, but I’m prepared. Sharpie in hand, mint copy of Twisted Metal: Black in the other – I’m ready to spring my trap. The following transpires: Me: Mr. Jaffe, could I bother you for an autograph? Jaffe: Who should I make this out to? Me: Ummmm…if you could sign it for me that would be great… Jaffe: eBay doesn’t care… do they ? Me: No-No…I’ll be giving it away to some lucky person. Jaffe: Ok then. Not very exciting stuff, but I guess he doesn’t like to sign would be the point? Afterwards, the party and tourney was nice inside. The setup was all Sony everything, right down to the cameras covering the event. I felt violated by these onslaught of cameras, phones with cameras and cameras with cameras. After a while the excitement wore off and Jaffe had retreated upstairs to the VIP section with all the other bigwigs from Playstation making himself completely unavailable to fans and people just wanting to say hi or share some adoration for his life’s work. As far as the game goes? First things first – the controls…yikes! My right hand was cramping up from trying to make my thumb do the electric slide across the buttons. Overall the graphics and detail of the game looks kind of bland and almost looks like it belongs on a PS2 rather than a PS3. The array of weapons are nice though, giving the player the ability to choose their tactic and how they wish to go forth wreaking havoc. And havoc you do wreak: EVERYTHING is destructible. You can go through buildings, houses, flagpoles. Hell, I even think I ran over an actual person at one point. Trophies are apparently quite easy to get because I got 3 just in a matter of minutes. Where Twisted Metal falls short in some areas, it makes up for it in others. The game offers full customization and the ability for the player to tailor fit the game to their needs, which in this day is usually done by the developer telling/showing you what you’ll be using – instead of giving you an actual choice. I’m giving this game 3.5 clowns out of 5. _____________________________________________________ Now…as far as the giveaway: One lucky winner will receive both items: 1 Twisted Metal Branded Backpack 1 Mint black label copy of Twisted Metal: Black signed by David Jaffe!! I will shoot video of the raffle when i draw the lucky persons name. One entry per person. Just leave a comment and tell us who your favorite Twisted Metal character is! Good luck!!

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Send In The Clowns | Twisted Metal Coverage & Super Awesome Giveaway!

Ubisoft confirmed a collectors edition of their upcoming third person tactical shooter, Ghost Recon Future Soldier . The only problem is: This collectors Edition of the game will be exclusive to Australia and New Zealand ! Australian retailer JB Hi-Fi priced the CE at $126 (Australian Dollars). On the other hand, US gamers will get the signature edition from Gamestop , which includes a few in-game DLC. Here is whats inside your Collectors Edition Australia: • The Game • Limited Edition Packaging • Embossed Steelbook Case • Compressed Pack T-Shirt • Hardcover Artbook with Exclusive Artwork • Alpha Short Movie DVD • Lithographic Prints • In-Game ULC Content Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier is due on 05/22/2012 . Are you a Ghost Recon fan? What do you think of these region exclusive collectors editions? Let us know in the comments below.

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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier Collectors Edition

As much as I hate breaking it to you, a PSN Maintenance has been scheduled to take place tomorrow, Thursday 2nd of February, starting at 6:00 a.m. PST (2:00 p.m. GMT) until 11:00 pm. PST (7:00 a.m. GMT) on Friday February 3rd. During the 18 hours downtime the usual services (Store, Account management, registration) are inaccessible.

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PSN Downtime Tomorrow

Robert Bowling has given Modern Warfare 3 fans an update on PlayStation 3 and PC patch 1.08. The patch was first released for Xbox 360, and has been delayed for PS3 users as there were additional updates added. According to Bowling, Modern Warfare 3 patch for PlayStation 3 has “been in certification at Sony this past week and should be released by them soon.” He added, ”we don’t control how long certification takes, thats out of our hands.” When asked for an estimated time of arrival, Bowling answered, “no way to know for sure, as its out of our hands once it enters certification. However, its typically a 2 week process (1 week down).” The update should be available on PlayStation 3 next week. No information on a PC release date. “I don’t have a date yet, but I’ve been asking them to start getting PC updates out in line with others platforms.”

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PS3 Users To See COD MW3 1.08 Patch Next Week

Capcom is now giving us a solid release date for Dragon’s Dogma along with a good incentive to purchase Dragon’s Dogma. Resident Evil 6 demo token will be included with every copy which can be redeemed some time in July. This is what capcom had to say First, we’ve got a release date! Expect this game to be available for purchase on May 22nd in North America, and May 25th in Europe. But wait, there’s more! Those who purchase Dragon’s Dogma at retail will receive a redeemable download token for the Resident Evil 6 demo, which they will be able to try out on July 3rd for Xbox 360, or September 4th (NA/JPN)/September 5th (EU) for PS3. That’s a considerable leg up for 360 owners, but still an early chance to check out RE6 (due out November 20th) for PS3 owners. As you may know, Dogma features a unique “Pawn System,” wherein the player character is accompanied by up to three AI-controlled partners. Players can create and customize their own Pawns, then share them with other players online, in addition to the thousands of ready-made Pawns included on disc. Those who want to seize the day and pre-order Dogma can enjoy any of the following pre-order initiatives: -GameStop is offering the ‘Pawn Upgrade Pack,’ which will give players additional Rift Crystals allowing them to “rent” higher-level Pawns from the game’s outset. -The ‘Armor Upgrade Pack’ offered through Best Buy and the ‘Weapon Upgrade Pack’ from Amazon.com will deliver higher level armor and weapons respectively giving players a real advantage when tackling the toughest of enemies. Check your local retailers for details. On top of all this, Capcom will be supporting Dragon’s Dogma post launch with a comprehensive suite of downloadable content including additional quests as well as weapon and armor upgrades. They have also released a new story trailer to keep the anticipation building for what is shaping up to be a killer game. Source: Capcom

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Dragon’s Dogma Release Date, Story Trailer, and RE6 Demo Incentive Revealed

The last Transformers was ok. Honestly I think it needs a reboot with a new director. It needs to focus on the transformers themselves not around a this guy that whines all the time. I heard Drive was a good movie, I’ll have to rent that later. As I was browsing through the releases I noticed another of those bad shark horror movies. This time the shark has 2 heads! Pretty scary stuff I must say. Anything interest you this week? Highlights for this week: Drive, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers Limited Edition Collector’s Trilogy, Star Trek: The Next Generation – Next Level, In Time, The Thing (2011), To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition, Shakespeare in Love, The Double, Dream House, Cold Mountain, The English Patient, The Piano, Adaptation, Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking, 2 Headed Shark Attack.

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Blu-ray Releases For The Week Of Jan 30th

The fighting game genre is back and this year it’s bigger than ever. With many of the major fighters expected to make a comeback this year fans of the genre will have a lot to choose from. And many sore fingers. 1: Soul Calibur V Starting the year off with a bang is Namco Bandai’s Soul Calibur V.The weapon based fighter’s return to the spotlight after a near four year absent paves the way for a big year ahead. Soul Calibur V takes place seventeen years after the fourth installment and introduces a new cast of younger fighters while playing host to returning favorites. Keeping up with a tradition that began with Soul Calibur II the fifth game in the series includes special guest character Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Ubisoft’s acclaimed Assassin’s Creed franchise. Tekken creator, Katsuhiro Harada, also gets in on the fun as a special non-playable character in the game’s Quick Match mode. Namco is promising a better online experience with Soul Calibur V with an improved netcode to prevent nasty lag issues. Soul Calibur V is due out in North America January 31st followed by a February 2nd and 3rd release in Japan and Europe, respectively. 2: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend Shortly after Soul Calibur V arrives Arc System Works brings an updated edition of its very stylish 2D fighter to the PS3, 360 and Vita. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend includes new characters, new features and additional tweaks. Already available in Japan since December BB:CSE debuts in North America on the 14th of February. European players can look forward to playing the fighter on the 24th. 3: Street Fighter x Tekken Street Fighter x Tekken brings legendary characters from both Capcom’s and Namco’s popular fighting game franchises together for one all out brawl of epic proportions. What brought these cast of characters together? Story details are scarce at the moment but what we do know is that important cast members are after a mysterious object that plummets to Earth which empowers those around it with a water-like energy. This 2D fighter features a hefty lineup of over 40 fighters including five confirmed guest characters exclusively for the PS3 and PS Vita. Those five characters are Sucker Punch’s inFamous hero ( or villain as the case may be ) Cole MacGrath, Sony mas-cats Kuro & Toro, Pac-Man and a Mega Man design not seen in a very long time. Expect tons of character customizations, online modes and other goodies when Street Fighter x Tekken debuts on the PS3 and 360 in March. A PS Vita and PC version of the game are in development. 4: Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown After a five year absence Sega brings Virtua Fighter back to home consoles this Summer with Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, a port of the Arcade version released in Japan over a year ago. Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown will include new characters, updated animations and online play for both the PS3, 360 and PS Vita versions of the fighter. Unlike other fighters VF5: FS is expected to release as a downloadable title. 5: Dead or Alive 5 Announced during last year’s Tokyo Game Show Tecmo Koei is bringing Dead or Alive back to PlayStation with the fifth installment of the series. Dead or Alive 5 features updated character models and gameplay effects. Little information is known about the fighter as of now but those pre-ordering Ninja Gaiden 3 can look forward to an early taste of the game with a playable demo. The demo features franchise veterans Hayabusa, Hayate, Kasumi and Ayane as playable characters. However depending on which version of NG 3 you purchase -PS3 or 360-only a pair of those fighters will be available. If you want to play all four then you may want to pick up the collectors’ Edition of the game for your system of choice. Dead or Alive 5 is due out sometime during the second half of the year. 6: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 After beginning the year with Soul Calibur V, Namco Bandai is likely to end it with another popular fighter, Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Out now in the Arcades across Japan and select areas in North America,Tekken Tag 2 features over 40 characters ( Jun Kazama’s back!),an updated graphics engine and remodeled character models. For the first time in the series your fighters will visually accumulate dirt and/or get wet depending on the chosen stage. The game includes the bound system found in Tekken 6 plus a bigger character customization offering. Did I mention Jun Kazama is back? Nothing about the console version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has been shared to the public yet but Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has confirmed that the console release will include exclusive content not offered in the Arcade version as well as a reworked online play. Look forward to my Sergei Dragunov plus Jun Kazama tag team beat down when Tekken Tag 2 arrives this Holiday. 7: Mortal Kombat ( VIta ) Not to be overlooked, PS Vita owners can also look forward to playing Mortal Kombat on the go when it arrives on the system this Spring. The brutal fighter will include everything found on the PS3 version plus more features designed with the Vita in mind. That about covers the list of announced fighters coming our way this year. If I missed one let me know. Soul Calibur V, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Dead or Alive 5 are the only three on my personal must purchase list. Although I may pick up SFxT sometime down the road. Which fighter are you looking forward to playing this year?

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2012: The Year Of The Fighters Preview

Last week, I was invited to an exclusive PS Vita Rooms Party here in the UK, and to be honest it’s taken me all this time to digest everything to do with the event. The PS Vita Rooms Party took place on Tuesday 17th January at 63 Deansgate – a highly popular stretch of road situated bang smack in the heart of Manchester, the city belonging to two of the world’s most admired football/soccer teams, Manchester City and Manchester United. With the location guaranteeing maximum exposure for the PS Vita events in the North West of England, thousands of gamers filtered through the doors over 7 days to catch a glimpse of the console that has caused a stir over recent months. With the event consisting of approximately 30 – 35 playable PS Vitas on two floors, approximately 10+ ‘launch day’ games on display, a DJ, free food & drinks, developers and exclusive PS Vita accessories being showcased – you knew that this party was the place to be! First Impressions The handheld console, if you’ve not already seen it looks absolutely stunning. The black glossy chasis is just beautiful, and with the most important feature of the console being a 5-inch (960 x 540) OLED touchscreen, to say it simply makes games look amazing due is an understatement. With multi touch functionality, you can play games in a way you couldn’t on the PSP, or on the PS3. Plus, the touchscreen isn’t the only touch sensitive feature of the console, the Vita also packs a touch pad on the rear side of the device, which in time will prove to be an important element of the console’s success. Expecting it to feel a little heavy due to the amount of technology packed into the console, I was somewhat surprised to find how much it actually weighed. Let me put it this way – imagine a wallet or purse containing approximately 5 credit cards in it, that’s how much I thought it weighed – super light! In fact, it was considerably lighter than my mobile/cell phone. The Games For those that are looking beyond the console and are focused on the games, here’s a list of games that were on show at the event: Uncharted: Golden Abyss Modnation Racers Reality Fighters Everybody’s Golf Little Deviants Hustle Kings Top Darts FIFA 12 Gravity Rush WipEout 2048 WipEout HD (PS3) Super Stardust Delta Escape Plan LittleBigPlanet MotorStorm RC Rather than spend quite a bit of time dissecting the games, which this report isn’t about – I’ll briefly go over just 3 of the key games I played. Uncharted: Golden Abyss If you thought that Uncharted 2 and 3 were superb games, then you have another thing coming as Uncharted Abyss on the Vita takes things to a higher level. To start off, the graphical detail is just perfect – and if you’re all about gameplay then you will not be disappointed. The game follows Drake across South America in search for gold. I got the opportunity to play 2 levels of the overall game. I was put into situations where I had to snipe the baddies, and whilst sniping, you could tilt your console left, right, up or down in order to target your victim – this reminded me of the perfect sixaxis functionality that was put into Super Rub A Dub, a sixaxis game that was released alongside the PS3 back in 2006/7. Whilst progressing further, I needed to cross over to another section of the level – I tried everything I could think of and nothing worked (I guess my level of intelligence isn’t as good as I thought) – but in order to progress, you had to think outside the box. I needed a bridge – how do I do this? Simple, just stroke your finger across the landscape in order to create the bridge for Drake to cross. How awesome is that? I wouldn’t have figured it out if it wasn’t for the chap next to me. With features and functionality such as this, you really were part of the game. WipEout 2048 You may have noticed the WipEout HD (PS3) in the list above – nope, it wasn’t a typo, I’ll expand on that list entry in a few moments. For now, let’s concentrate on WipEout 2048. Not so long ago, Sony had been quoted to say that WipEout 2048 will be the game that will sell the Vita – and they for sure weren’t lying about that. WipEout 2048 can be described in one word – amazing! Ok, let me add another word to that – beautiful! I can imagine some of you thinking, yeah yeah, it’s just WipEout and it’s nothing special – no really, go and try it – you WILL be blown away! I don’t really need to go on about how the graphics were like this and the playability was like that – it’s WipEout – you can’t go wrong with this title at all! It’s all it was meant to be – superb! Now let’s look at how the PS3 is involved here. If you’ve played WipEout before, you know that it has a huge multiplayer following. Well, imagine this – you’re playing WipEout HD on the PS3 but you’re also taking on players in the same game who are playing on the PS Vita (see image above – note the players on the right). Yes folks, cross-platform connectivity is here. If that isn’t a selling point, then I don’t know what is. So does this game make me want to go out and buy a PS Vita? Hell Yes! MotorStorm RC Evolution Studios are at it again! They had a launch day release for the PS3, and now they strike again with MotorStorm RC being their launch day game for the PS Vita! MSRC took me by surprise, and although the title should have given it away for me (RC) I was expecting something a little familiar to what I’ve been playing in the MotorStorm series for the last 5 years. With more than 100 customised cars available, which fall into categories such as Buggies, Muscle Cars, Superminis, Racing Trucks, Rally Cars, Supercars, Big Rigs and Monster Trucks, your bus journey into work is going to be more entertaining as you’ll be whistling around those crazy maps whilst hi-5′ing that old granny that is sat next to you each time you come first! With each game lasting around approximately 2 mins, you can get at least 5 – 10 games played before you hit your desk.* This is a quality, yet fun and crazy game to keep you glued to the Vita for hours! It doesn’t end there either – if you have a Vita and a PS3, you can continue your progress on the PS3 and vice versa – saving you tons of time, and generally avoiding the need to prove yourself again that you’re a MotorStorm Legend. * Depends on how long your journey to work is! Games – Overall Impression Each of the games I played tested the Vita’s functionality in one way or the other, and from 3 keys games I played, I saw some really good demos of functionality; cross-platform connectivity & continuity, motion sensors, touch-screen interaction – and I’m sure it doesn’t stop there. Once the developers get used to developing for this little beauty of a console, they’re sure to make you look and act strange in any which way they can by unlocking/packing some great interaction into their games. A major tumbs up from me from what I’ve seen. I can’t wait to see how the Vita market will be in one years time. Other Guests Other than spending lots of time playing as many games, I was eager to meet some of the other guests that were present at the party. We talked, we laughed and I made a fool of myself – quite normal for me though. 4Gamers It was an absolute pleasure to meet Tony Walton, Product Development Manager for 4Gamers, and if you haven’t heard of 4Gamers – you need to get googling now. They don’t just make accessories for every console out there – but they make THE best accessories for every console out there. After a nice long chat about 4Gamers and what they’ve got in store for the Vita, I got an opportunity to see the accessories that will be available on launch day and I also got a sneak preview of an accessory which will make your Vita look even cooler than it already does. Rather than spoil the surprise, I will be writing up a special on 4Gamers very soon. We’ll show you exactly what 4Gamers have up their sleeves for the Vita launch! Evolution Studios I also had the pleasure to chat to Paul Rustchynsky, Lead Designer at Evolution Studios, the guys (and girls) behind the ever popular MotorStorm series. I took the liberty to record the interview (clever me), which you can listen to below: Last but not least, a big shout goes out to the well dress @Keggs11, who forgot to change before he left work for the party. Now, I am led to believe that this is how all Evolution Studios staff dress when they come to work – or maybe someone was pulling my leg?!? Yep – I’ve been had, haven’t I? All in all, I’ve definitely been sold on the PS Vita. For me it’s on my shopping list – albeit it being a huge shopping list – thank you dear wife. When it comes to technology, I’m like a kid in a sweet shop. However, I’m one of those kids that are very careful with their money and make sure you’re getting your moneys worth. Then there’s the hope that my postman would just deliver a PS Vita out of nowhere – there’s always hope. We’ve seen the PS3 go from strength to strength over the last 5 years or so, expect a lot from the Vita a few years down the line! Sony have a game plan, and the Vita isn’t just going to be a PSP replacement, it seems there’s more to it than what’s been shown to us. So, the party – yes, it was a huge success! The message was sent out loud and clear, that Sony really mean business with the Vita. The console is definitely going to knock your socks off – if you wear socks that is. So, are you going to bag a PS Vita when it’s out? What are your reasons for picking one up? If you’re not getting one, other than financial constraints – why not?

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The PS Vita Rooms Party