The PlayStation Vita is now part of Sony's PlayStation Plus scheme, giving members access to a selection of full games, and its first batch for North Americans include the hits Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush.

Also contained within the Vita's inaugural Instant Game Collection are four more titles plucked from the handheld's launch line-up not so long ago: futuristic racer Wipeout 2048, swish-looking graffiti classic Jet Set Radio, and well-recieved platformer Mutant Blobs Attack, as well as the PSP/Vita version of role-playing offshoot Final Fantasy Tactics.

As with the PS3's Plus scheme, the games are available for as long as a player's Plus membership is active; subscriptions cost $49 / €49 / £39 per year, and games bought using the Plus members' discount stay active should the subscription lapse.

In addition to increasing the Vita's appeal, Plus is Sony's way of competing with Xbox Live on the Xbox 360, which offers access to group voice chat, Avatar Kinect, and cloud storage, and opens the gate to YouTube, Internet Explorer, and the TV, film and music streaming services that are otherwise denied to Live's non-subscribers.