Sony announced that PlayStation Plus would be coming to the Vita during the Tokyo Game Show, but only revealed the launch date on its blog today. On the 19th November (for the US, 21st in the UK), the next Vita System Software Update (v2.00) will roll out, and it will include PlayStation Plus.
The Instant Game Collection that PlayStation Plus members will have access to is pretty impressive, with Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Jet Set Radio HD, WipEout 2048, Gravity Rush, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, and PSP game Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions all available for US members to play for free. In the UK, as well as Australia and New Zealand, members will only have access to four free games: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Chronovolt, and Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.
It's pretty lame that living in the UK means I won't get to play WipEout 2048 for free like my friends in the US, but the folks at Sony clearly knew what they were doing when they made Uncharted: Golden Abyss – a popular launch title for the console – one of those that will be available at no extra cost for an extended period of time.
And the best news? If you already have a PlayStation Plus membership through your PS3, you don't have to pay again, and the addition of these Vita games won't remove any PS3 games from the Instant Game Collection either.