Howard Stringer remains the CEO of Sony, though it is expected that Hirai will eventually take his post. While other segments of Sony’s corporate umbrella have suffered massive losses over the years, Hirai led the game business to profitability as he filled in the shoes of Ken Kutaragi, otherwise known as the father of the PlayStation. A well deserved promotion, we’d say.

Trying to decide which games you’re getting for the upcoming release of the Vita? Here is a few titles that will launch right in the same week.

SCEA Launch Day Titles
Escape Plan (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
Little Deviants
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss
wipEout 2048

Personally I’m looking forward to Uncharted: Golden Abyss, to see how that plays out as a prequel to the first Uncharted. Other notes include prices for Memory Cards starting from 4GB all the way up to 32 GB which you can see in the update here. Read more below for some of the third party titles.

Via PlayStation Blog

Third Party Launch Day Titles

Army Corps of Hell
Asphalt Injection
BEN10 GALACTIC RACING
Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND
Dungeon Hunter Alliance
Dynasty Warriors Next
F1 2011 Codemasters
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer
Lumines Electronic Symphony
Michael Jackson The Experience
Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only)
Rayman Origins
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen.
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only)
Touch My Katamari
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition

Other launch “window” titles include LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, NINJA GAIDEN ∑ PLUS, Ridge Racer, Silent Hill Book of Memories, and Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted.

Carrying a bargain-bin price of $14.99 each, the dual packs feature two UMD games a piece. The packs are as follows:

* MotorStorm: Arctic Edge and Twisted Metal: Head-on
* Patapon and LocoRoco
* Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee and Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip

Look for these bundles to show up on US shelves beginning this January, unfortunately missing the holiday shopping season. For those that prefer to go digital — which is a must for Vita backwards compatibility, downloadable versions will also be available via PlayStation Network at the same price.

What strikes us with concern is that offerings from major publishers like Capcom, Square Enix, and Konami — all top Japanese publishers — are completely missing. You’d figure titles already available on the PS Store would be an automatic lock in this program, but apparently, that’s not the case. Hopefully it’s just a slow start and we’ll see more titles added within the coming weeks, as the December 17 launch of PS Vita nears in Japan.

Sony’s North American and European group have yet to announce region-specific equivalents of the program.

How does it work? The program, which is run on a PSP — presumably for verification purposes, prompts users to register their UMD disc by following the on-screen instructions. From there, the title will display on the PS Store at the discount price.

Sony has offered up a complete list of eligible titles, with prices ranging from the 500 to 1500 yen mark ($20 US). Bare in mind the program has not been announced for other regions at this time. Given currency rates and licensing, pricing and available titles would of course differ if SCEA and SCEE roll out equivalents.

Entry into the closed beta test is limited, with sign-ups now accepted on Sony’s official site. Subject to license agreement, developers will receive an early version of the PS Suite SDK (software development kit), along with associated tools and libraries. SCE will take in feedback received during the beta to help guide refinements and usability enhancements.

The PS Suite framework represents Sony’s bold effort towards unifying the PlayStation brand across all PS Certified mobile devices, including the Vita — which hits Japan next month.

It is refreshing to receive a second confirmation on this, since Sony failed to mandate day and date downloads with the PSPgo — in fact, some PSP titles like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep never showed up on PSN altogether.

Interestingly, Sony has streamlined the process of prepping titles for digital release. Unlike on PS3, the PSN counterparts of retail games are submitted to Sony in the same format, which we presume will cut down on certification time.

Additionally, Norden said Sony is open to the idea of free-to-play experiences on Vita. While concepts are still subject to account manager approval, Vita devs are free to “explore whatever business model” they see fit.

He also pointed to the disappointing sales of Valkyria Chronicles 2, which apparently did not sell well enough to justify further investment in localization, despite stellar reviews from critics.

There is hope, however. As some of the associated risks could be mitigated by offering it as a downloadable title, Sega is considering to release it through PSN on Vita. The company hopes to make a “concrete decision” on that front during its next meeting with Sony.

Weighing in at 1.8GB for a dual-layer disc, the UMD was PSP’s format of choice. Often criticized for its loading times and impact on battery life, Sony decided to nix the format with Vita, opting to store game titles on flash-based storage instead.

In an ideal world, owning the UMD should grant you access to a digital copy as well, but this is the next best thing we suppose. Sony’s North American and European arm have yet to comment on these plans, so consider them applicable to Japan only for now.  Vita launches December 17 in the region.

That means you’ll be able to import a Vita when it releases on December 17 in Japan and not be restricted to games or content localized for that particular region. This is in contrast to 3DS, which Nintendo decided to enforce a region lock on.

Pre-orders for Vita open October 15 in Japan.

Reitinger previously served as director of the U.S. National Cyber Security Center. Prior to that he held positions at Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Defense.

He will assume the role of senior vice president in Sony’s security division, which has been on the ropes as of late, reporting directly to general counsel Nicole Seligman. Presumably, the move will bring long-term changes in organization and approach.

“Certainly the network issue was a catalyst for the appointment,” a Sony spokesperson told Reuters. “We are looking to bolster our network security even further.”

What’s more, sales are better than ever. It appears the security blunder has done little to dampen consumer confidence.

“I’m pleased to tell you that the PSN is more secure and better than ever,” said Stringer.

“We are aggressively expanding its content. We have more than 3 million new customers since the network came back online, and sales are exceeding what we had before the cyberattacks.”

The inclusion of PlayStation Suite support, Sony’s cross-platform mobile framework designed also to interface with Vita, will allow users to play PlayStation content certified for mobile devices.

Later this November, Sony will release the Tablet P, which takes a departure from traditional tablet design with two 5.5-inch screens housed in a clamshell form factor. Pricing specifics on that were not announced. Pictured above, both devices run Android 3.0, with the graphics innards powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 chip.

Originally uncovered via ESRB listings, the original Parasite Eve joined the PSOne Classics library around the time its spiritual successor – The 3rd Birthday – was released on PSP. It was suspected the sequel would be released soon after, but Square  decided to hold onto it longer than we anticipated.

In any case, it’s almost here. Parasite Eve 2 chronicles another Mitochondria outbreak as mutants overrun Los Angeles.

The bundle is slated to hit store shelves on August 30. It’ll retail for $159.

To that end, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Hiroshi Kawano is promising a release date announcement by TGS 2011, which kicks off on September 15. The tidbit was revealed in a blog post on the official PlayStation Japan site, thanking fans for their continued support.

Whether the announcement will cover plans for all regions or only Japan is not known at this point. Sony holds a press conference the day TGS begins.

With FCC approval, production will begin to ramp up soon, at which point, a launch will likely be only a few months away. Here’s hoping Sony offers up more details on that worldwide rollout during Gamescom, which kicks off in just 2 weeks. This holiday season will be an interesting one for the handheld market.

The demo will feature four missions, each with varying difficulty levels and a set objective. Type-0 is part of Fabula Nova Crystallis, the mythology that encompasses Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Versus XIII.  Gameplay videos have shown a battle system resembling that of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, without the nagging slot machine mechanic.

Given that PSN downloads are region-free, those in North America and Europe will be able to check it out simply by signing up for a Japanese PSN account. If you don’t mind wading through moonspeak, that is.

Thanks, Andriasang.

“What Near does is it allows users to discover each other, leave gifts for each other and essentially find out more about games. You can see where people are in relation to your location, their five most recently played games and also gifts that they’ve registered. This is fairly cool because it exposes users to games they might not have heard of and you can see how popular those games are and how people are rating them,” explained Rogers at a Develop panel.

As its name implies, Party is designed to connect groups of gamers together. It’s touted as a “platform-wide” component that allows you and three friends to form a party. It can be centered around a particular game or genre, for example. Your party is accessible anywhere on Vita. The feature also boasts cross-game voice chat.

LiveArea and Activity make up the remaining online modes. In Activity, players can share trophies stats and discuss progress in a Facebook wall-style interface. LiveArea is a space for publishers and developers to communicate with fans. It’s particularly useful for pushing out important updates and DLC notifications.

Sony is taking an open stance when it comes to implementation of these modes. Rogers says innovation is welcomed.

Thanks, Eurogamer.

The lion’s share of that figure goes to European territories, raising a generous €609,155, followed by $425,644 in North America. Japan and Asia regions contributed 23,300,700 yen.

Sony will donate the funds to an organization in each region supporting recovery efforts in communities affected by the devastating earthquake: the American Red Cross, the British Red Cross, and the Red Feather Community Chest Movement.

“As an industry, we have to support those smaller teams, and let them try out their ideas. Without doing so, the whole industry will stall, in terms of innovation,” SCE boss Shuhei Yoshida told Develop.

“[For PS Vita], we made it so the development kit wouldn’t be too expensive.”

“Having the capability to sell their games on the network is key to giving those smaller teams an opportunity to come up with ideas, and sometimes invest their own money to come up with something special and have their projects meet with millions of users.”

Seeing Sony throw more support towards indies comes as little surprise. Earlier this year, the firm unveiled PlayStation Suite, a cross-platform framework allowing for application delivery across Vita and Android-based mobile devices with relative ease.

Once an XBLA exclusive, the ports of this black-and-white indie gem were confirmed last month. Additionally, Playdead CEO Dino Patti has teased an “little extra secret” in store for these conversions. Details on that are forthcoming.

Hirai’s official title is Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation, and President of Consumer Products & Services Group (CPSG). Fancy.

The current chairman - Akira Sato – will retire on August 31. Additionally, PlayStation father Ken Kutaragi has retired from his role as Honorary Chairman of SCEI.

Filling in the shoes of House is Jim Ryan, who currently serves as executive VP and co-COO of SCEE.

“In fiscal 2010, we achieved profitability for the first time in five years as a result of group-wide united efforts, including continuous cost reduction for PS3 in which I first took the initiative after assuming President of SCEI in December 2006,” said Hirai.

He added, “We are facing new challenges this year, such as the successful launch of PlayStation Vita and further growth of PS3 platform as well as expansion of nongaming business. I”m confident that the skills and expertise Andy has gained over two decades working for Sony and SCE Group will contribute enormously in leading the PlayStation business and to bring new initiatives in managing the business in the networked era.”

Sony-owned partner SN Systems, which handle much of the R&D work on Sony’s internal development tools, says Vita tools will make game development ‘as easy as possible.’ And so far, early feedback from developers is glowing.

“This time around we have thought about how developers pick it up and how they get started,” SN Systems director Andy Beveridge told Develop.

VP of development, Bernard James, added “this time we built our debugger into Visual Studio. We’d been asked for it for a long time, and we did take careful consideration over the decision. The previous debuggers were made without Visual Studio, but they provided additional features that Visual Studio didn’t. It was a tough decision when we made it, but the feedback we’re getting from NGP developers today has told us that it was the right decision.”

More accessible dev tools sounds like the right approach. Hopefully this translates into more third party support — and from what we’ve seen of the Vita’s launch lineup, it’s already got a strong backing.

A tech demo showcasing the new engine was shown off, depicting a lush jungle environment that would lend itself well to the stealth mechanics of Metal Gear Solid. However, Konami was keen to note that the demo is not based on an upcoming project. It’s merely a testbed designed to highlight the capabilities of Fox Engine.

It’s unlikely that we’ll get any details on this new project at E3, given that Kojima himself isn’t attending the show. At any rate, here’s hoping we’ll learn more about Fox Engine.

Unfortunately, no further details were spared, but one thing’s for sure: we can’t wait to see what this will look like on the NGP’s OLED display, inky blacks and all.

“Our studio worked very closely with hardware groups to design NGP, so we looked at every single component in terms of choices of display. We could have had 3D stereoscopic display instead of a 5-inch OLED – there’s pros and cons – and obviously we decided to go with the latter,” Yoshida told Edge.

He added, “But we knew that those [3D] display technologies would advance every day, every month. And especially the naked-eye stereoscopic technologies – it’s such an early technology, that’s going to advance very quickly and people will see it adapted in tablets and smartphones. Our decision was based on what it we’re trying to create in terms of robust gaming experience, without the additional cost of goods to provide the naked-eye stereoscopic 3D. So never-say-never for the future, but for the launch of NGP our choices were based on what we believe the best choice was for us.”

As we’ve seen with subsequent PSP refreshes, Sony isn’t adverse to hardware changes that expand on the original design spec. It seems the jury is still out on what the future holds.

While details are scant, it’s a exciting glimpse into Sony’s connectivity plans for the device.

Elsewhere, wipEout enthusiasts may be less enthused to know that this build of 2048 is reportedly running at 30 frames per second. Previous installments on consoles have targeted a silky-smooth 60 frames on consoles to suit the frantic, high-octane gameplay. To see that drop down to 30, especially with the hardware grunt that the NGP has, is rather disappointing.

Still, we’ll reserve judgment until we see it in action. Eurogamer feels it’s “not enough of a hit to prevent the two games from playing nicely with each other” across platforms. Let’s not forget that development on the title is still early yet, so this certainly could change. Fingers crossed.

Additionally, Sony is promising “special publishes” starting next week in time for E3. The region-specific “Welcome Back” offer isn’t live yet, however Sony assures it is in the “final stages” of testing.

In appreciation of customer loyalty, Sony will also be handing out its promised “Welcome Back” incentives soon after the Store returns, which include free games and PS Plus access.

“We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”

Before you jump to conclusions, ngp.scedev.net is also a valid address, so for all we know Vita could be a second codename passed around to partners enrolled in Sony’s developer program. Currently, both URLs simply direct to the main SCEDev hub. Other queries – such as ps4.scedev.net or psp2.scedev.net – turn up an invalid request error, so this isn’t a blanket redirect.

At any rate, we’ll find out the real name soon enough, Sony’s E3 presser is only a week away.

At launch, the PS3′s semi-open nature allowed devs to install third-party operating systems through the use of OtherOS. While this approach did carry certain restrictions, these efforts were applauded and encouraged homebrew development. More than that, it kept both camps happy. Then, in March of last year, Sony nixed OtherOS entirely. Initially it cited cost concerns with the introduction of PS3 Slim hardware, only to later remove the feature entirely via a firmware update. The excuse? OtherOS was a potential security liability.

Instead of circumventing Sony’s security measures, which always proves to have the side-effect of piracy, KaKaRoTo wants an environment in which homebrew can be run on official firmware. Is it too much to ask? Other companies like Microsoft and Apple have embraced homebrew development. Microsoft’s XNA program, for instance, carries a low barrier to entry for developing on Xbox 360 at around $99 annually.

Sony’s PS3 developer program, by contrast, is subject to steep upfront costs. A PS3 development kit costs thousands of dollars. Hardly realistic for your average hobbyist.

Through a display of the hard work that goes into these homebrew applications, backed by an anti-piracy stance, KaKaRoTo hopes this initiative will spark a change of heart over at Sony. While it’s hard to say if it will have any real impact, given that Sony has made its stance increasingly firm through recent lawsuits and the total removal of OtherOS, if you feel strongly about the cause you can sign the petition over at HumbleHomebrew.com. In a nod to the Humble Indie Bundle, donations to the EFF and developers are also welcome on the site.

During the aforementioned timeframe, the follow PSN services will be inaccessible:

PC Registration
Console Storefront
PS3 Account Management
PS3 Network Account Registration
PSP Network Account Registration
Qriocity Account Management

Sony originally said it plans on fully restoring PSN by May 31, so let’s hope this maintenance coincides with the return of the PS Store.

Additionally, Sony Network Entertainment VP Eric Lempel notes that “system software stability during use of some features will be improved” after applying the latest update. Obviously, nothing to get excited over here, but that’s to be expected from a security update.

Download PSP Firmware 6.39 for 1000-3000 series / PSPgo EBOOT

Update: SCEA’s PR team has sent out additional details on the June 6 E3 event. Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:

3:30-5pm: Pre-show reception with world renowned DJs and LAs best food trucks including Empanadarama,Yappy Dog, Cheeseball Wagon, Komodo and more.
5-6:30pm: Press Conference
6:30-8pm: Enjoy hands on time with almost all of the press conference content on over 120 PS3 and NGP kiosks. Arcade to include special appearances and musical talent.
8-9:30pm: Special performance

With less than two weeks to go, Sony today sent out invites to its annual E3 media event in Los Angeles, revealing that the June 6 event will span 5 hours. It kicks off at 5:00 p.m., concluding five hours later at 10:00 p.m.

The evening will begin with the press conference from 5:00 – 6:30 pm followed by a “special event” afterwards. We’re expecting a heavy emphasis on the NGP, combined with a strong PS3 software showing. Perhaps we’ll hear more on PlayStation Suite, too.

There’s no word on what the special event will entail.

Meanwhile, Sony has also launched its official E3 2011 site. There are cubes hovering at the top that represent Twisted Metal, Ratchet & Clank, inFamous 2, Resistance 3, and Uncharted 3 — all titles that will be shown off at E3, obviously. What’s interesting, though, is that there are are four placeholder cubes — which likely indicate unannounced titles that are in store for a reveal.

We’ll be there.

By comparison, its target for the Xbox 360 is much more modest. Capcom expects to sell 4.7 million units on 360, across 14 titles. Part of that gap is without a doubt thanks to MHP 3rd HD, but we have an inkling that Capcom must have something else planned to make up for a difference of 3.3 million units.

Thanks, Andriasang.

The breakdown is as follows:

• The current estimated cost of the personal information theft protection program for customers. “This program includes a set amount of insurance to cover a certain amount of identity theft losses that may be incurred by our customers in certain regions within a set period with respect to misuse of their personal information.”
• Costs of welcome back programs that offer customers certain services (such as games, music and videos) for free
• Customer support costs
• Network security enhancement costs
• Legal and expert costs
• The impact on our profits due to a possible future revenue decrease

To date, Sony says it has yet to “confirm any misuse of credit cards from the cyber-attack.”

“PSP Remaster” titles will deliver rich and immersive gaming experience on the PS3 system through stunning high-definition graphics as well as through additional new features for these titles, such as operability on the PS3 Wireless Controller (SIXAXIS and DUALSHOCK 3), new add-on content or stereoscopic 3D support*1. Users will also be able to utilize the same save data from the original PSP game for the “PSP Remaster” version and enjoy the game on the go with the PSP system and continue the game at home on a large TV screen using PS3. Ad-hoc mode gameplay will also be supported through “adhoc party for PlayStation Portable” application on the PS3 system*2.

Capcom has already jumped on the bandwagon, announcing plans to give its hugely successful Monster Hunter Portable franchise the remaster treatment. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD Ver. is headed to the PS3 later this summer in Japan.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that hit PSP titles like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and The 3rd Birthday could be next in line to receive this treatment. As it stands, though, Monster Hunter is the only confirmed title for the Remasters library. Additionally, Sony has yet to flesh out similar plans for North America and Europe. We’ll hear more at E3, presumably.

Update #2: Check out the first direct-feed screens over at VGIMG.

Update: Here’s an off-camera shot of the remastered Monster Hunter in action, courtesy Japanese site 4Gamer.net:

The first update will coincide with the Store’s opening on May 24, adding content from April 26. Three days later, content from May 3rd will go live. In the following week, updates are scheduled to go live on May 31 and June 3. After that, the Store will presumably return to its normal operating schedule.

PSN content manager Jack Osorno said the firm is willing to work with publishers and developers “on a case-by-case basis” if the revised release dates are met with concerns.

A new exploit surfaced earlier today that allowed anyone to reset any PSN account’s password, without going through the proper channels. The new exploit was revealed by our friend Nevada from Nyleveia, who first revealed the exploit. After confirming it’s legitimacy Nevada notified Sony about the threat and their account reset page was subsequently taken down.

The hack involved knowing the date of birth and e-mail of a target account, both of which were compromised in the PSN attack last month. It is unclear how many users were affected by this exploit but those that did use this exploit had their IP addresses logged in which Sony could potentially use to locate and find the culprits (assuming they didn’t use a proxy). It is unclear when the service will resume.