Friday Opinion: What Sony MUST show for PS Vita at Gamescom

I'm not writing about the games we already know about that are coming out on the Vita, this is about the bigger picture. For a start, Sony needs a Vita-specific PlayStation Plus offering. The recently announced PlayStation Plus Presents might be a part of that, and something is supposed to be in the pipe. But, Sony needs to dig up some very good offers, or exclusive content to make the Vita's PSN a more monetizable (as much as I hate the word) proposition.

Next, it needs to show off some new partners, I don't care if Sony has secretly snapped up some more developers, is getting into new partnerships, or just thrown cash at a few for Vita editions. But it needs to show that developers are still coming, however slowly, given the big list it waved around at launch (of which the MIAs are listed here.)

Next up, some more media apps aren't essential, but will be widely welcomed. Spotify, Netflix and Nico Nico (in Europe), Ustream and an improved browser will all add to that small, but essential, sense of community to the Vita.

Finally, it needs new games for us to focus on. While EA might shout about a few Vita-specific features for Madden 13 and FIFA 13, we've heard it all before. Similarly, nothing Call of Duty Declassified can offer will really surprise anyone (unless they have a clown convention massacre level in store).

Just a couple more sparkling titles set in new worlds or expanding on existing IP (Assassin's Creed is a perfect example) are badly needed. Sony has promised some new games, but they have to spring up out of nowhere like Soul Sacrifice did and inspire potential Vita owners. I (naturally) don't know what those games are, but it has to be new, new, new rather than yet another Ridge Racer or an uninspired cross over.