The PS Vita just hit store shelves in Japan yesterday and not to our surprise, hackers are already fiddling with the device. teck4 reports that the PS Vita is still vulnerable to a save game exploit present in PSP firmware 6.31. Above is a photo of the PS Vita running a ‘Hello World’ application inside the Vita’s PSP environment.

We’re filing this under rumor for now, seeing as the work in question has not been published, but it looks legit.

Given that the PS Vita runs PSP code inside an emulator, which chances are is completely sandboxed, it seems unlikely that privilege escalation is possible. Time will tell however.

Like the PSP and PS3 before it, a steady stream of demos will grace the PlayStation Store for PS Vita. It’s been confirmed via a Dengeki PlayStation report that a demo of Dynasty Warriors Next will be available on day one for the Japanese launch — December 17.

The demo will offer a sizable chunk of content, featuring three stages and eight selectable characters. more »

UMD Passport, the digital buyback program Sony announced for UMD owners earlier this month, has gone live. Through the program, users can buyback digital downloads of UMDs they own at a discount price for playback on the PS Vita. So far, the selection list comes in at around 262 games — that’s about 1/3 of the entire PSP library.

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.

While the PS Vita has yet to grace Japanese store shelves, it would seem hackers are already poking around Sony’s new hardware. SKFU – a name you may recognize from the early days of PS3 hacking scene has released a firmware extractor for system software version 00.945.040.

Judging from the version string, it seems likely this is a development build of the firmware not publicly available. In any case, chances are it will not be the same firmware pre-installed on launch units.

Moreover, this tool merely extracts the firmware, it does not decrypt any of the modules within. Regardless, we’re sure this will spark some interest among the homebrew crowd.

Sony is launching a currently Japan-only initiative dubbed UMD Passport that will allow existing UMD owners to purchase digital conversions of titles they already own at a discount for PS Vita. Previously, the idea was merely being considered, but now it’s official.

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.

Sony Computer Entertainment is busy ramping up support for its cross-platform framework PlayStation Store in November, announcing an closed beta test open exclusively to developers.

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. more »

PS Vita owners will be able to purchase and download hits from the PSP’s backcatalog — possibly at a discount price if you own the UMD. What’s still up in the air is whether save data between the two portables will transfer over.

To that end, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has said it is ‘looking into’ save data transfer, further promising that details will be announced ‘shortly.’ This comes by way of a FAQ posted over on the official Japanese Vita site.

Given the franchise’s sterling reputation and cult following, you’d think a localized rendition of Valkyria Chronicles 3 would be a lock. Not so, says Sega. The dismal news comes from Sega console sales manager Hiroshi Seno, who told GameSpot that the title would not see a release in the US or Europe due to the dwindling popularity of PSP in both regions.

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.

The impending release of PS Vita will continue the trend of import-friendly Sony gaming devices. Responding on Twitter, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that Vita is region free. This has been rumored for far too long, so it’s great to finally receive official word.

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.

After the damaging PSN hacking incident that led to weeks of downtime and left over 70 million accounts compromised, things are finally looking up for Sony. Speaking at the IFA press conference in Germany, Sony CEO Howard Stringer reportedly told those in attendance that over 3 million new accounts have been created since the network intrusion.

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.”