Finally – games are coming out again! This Tuesday brings us some high-profile new releases, including Final Fantasy XIII-2 (find a couple of reviews below). You’ll be able to find the week’s entire release list (retail and digital) right here later on today.

Don’t forget: if you’re in the Bay Area, please join us on Thursday for David Jaffe’s Twisted Metal tournament at Mezzanine.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 23, 2012)

• A Fast-Paced Tour Of Final Fantasy XIII-2 Battles – Siliconera
• Vita’s Mutant Blobs Attack has a silly credits theme – Destructoid
• Best Buy stores getting PS Vita demo units – Destructoid
• Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Destructoid
• Don’t Play Gravity Rush Out In Public – Siliconera
• Sony Speaks Out on its Relationship With Insomniac – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
• Lumines: Electronic Symphony includes bonus MP3s at Amazon – Joystiq
• Remembering the best JRPG ever – Joystiq
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review in Progress – PlayStation 3 Feature at IGN
• The 12 Best Games For the PlayStation 3 – Kotaku
• Preview: The philosophies of Street Fighter X Tekken – Destructoid
• Exclusive Interview with Naughty Dog Co-Founder Jason Rubin – Vivid Gamer
• Here’s a new batch of screenshots for Disgaea 3 on Vita – Destructoid
• BioWare ‘Didn’t do a Good Job’ for New Players in ME2 – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
• Ibb and Obb Gameplay Trailer Defies Gravity – PSNStores
• Battlefield 3 voice chat fix for PS3 is confirmed – patch coming soon – VentureBeat
• ScaryGirl Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• MLB 12 The Show Hands On – PS Move and PSVita – PSNation.org
• Top 10 Reasons I Am Excited For The Vita – DrGamerDad
• Vita Games We Want to See – G4tv.com
• The 10 most anticipated PlayStation Vita games – Digital Trends
• PS Vita: the inside story – guardian.co.uk
• Thumbs Up, Proprietary Bullshit Down | Product Reviews – Wired.com
• The Best-Selling PSN Games Of 2011 – www.GameInformer.com

Finally – games are coming out again! This Tuesday brings us some high-profile new releases, including Final Fantasy XIII-2 (find a couple of reviews below). You’ll be able to find the week’s entire release list (retail and digital) right here later on today.

Don’t forget: if you’re in the Bay Area, please join us on Thursday for David Jaffe’s Twisted Metal tournament at Mezzanine.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 23, 2012)

• A Fast-Paced Tour Of Final Fantasy XIII-2 Battles – Siliconera
• Vita’s Mutant Blobs Attack has a silly credits theme – Destructoid
• Best Buy stores getting PS Vita demo units – Destructoid
• Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Destructoid
• Don’t Play Gravity Rush Out In Public – Siliconera
• Sony Speaks Out on its Relationship With Insomniac – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
• Lumines: Electronic Symphony includes bonus MP3s at Amazon – Joystiq
• Remembering the best JRPG ever – Joystiq
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review in Progress – PlayStation 3 Feature at IGN
• The 12 Best Games For the PlayStation 3 – Kotaku
• Preview: The philosophies of Street Fighter X Tekken – Destructoid
• Exclusive Interview with Naughty Dog Co-Founder Jason Rubin – Vivid Gamer
• Here’s a new batch of screenshots for Disgaea 3 on Vita – Destructoid
• BioWare ‘Didn’t do a Good Job’ for New Players in ME2 – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
• Ibb and Obb Gameplay Trailer Defies Gravity – PSNStores
• Battlefield 3 voice chat fix for PS3 is confirmed – patch coming soon – VentureBeat
• ScaryGirl Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• MLB 12 The Show Hands On – PS Move and PSVita – PSNation.org
• Top 10 Reasons I Am Excited For The Vita – DrGamerDad
• Vita Games We Want to See – G4tv.com
• The 10 most anticipated PlayStation Vita games – Digital Trends
• PS Vita: the inside story – guardian.co.uk
• Thumbs Up, Proprietary Bullshit Down | Product Reviews – Wired.com
• The Best-Selling PSN Games Of 2011 – www.GameInformer.com

We were humbled this week by the massive turnout at this week’s Vita Social Club meetups. We had never held more than one in a week, and here we were in five cities over two days, and close to 1500 of you turned out. That was awesome, especially considering the conditions in places like Chicago, where it was really damn cold!

If you weren’t able to make it out to one of our grand opening events last week, fear not, as we’re open in eight cities through launch. Click here for details. We’re also in the planning stages of four more events – look for details here soon.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 16, 2012)

• I Cannot Wait to Replay Jak and Daxter – PlayStation 3 Preview at IGN
• Bethesda Outlines Skyrim Patch 1.4 – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
• Momiji Returns For Ninja Gaiden 3 (And Do Ninjas Carry Machine Guns?) – Siliconera
• New screenshots for Vita game Dynasty Warriors Next – Destructoid
• Collect The Debts of the Dead in Yakuza: Dead Souls – Giant Bomb
• Mortal Kombat Brutalizing Vita This Spring – Wired.com
• How to Create an Entire Religion – PlayStation 3 Feature at IGN
• Daxter And Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Coming To A Sony Tablet Near You – Siliconera
• In Which the Lord of Hell Accidentally Takes a Bus to Michigan – Kotaku
• Preview: Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen – Destructoid
• Irrational Would Love it if You’d Party With BioShock Infinite’s New ’1999 Mode’ – Giant Bomb
• UNCHARTED 3 mention in Spider-man – Twitter
• PlayStation Vita Hill Social Club Takes Over NYC – DualShockers
• 27 ways Uncharted: Golden Abyss uses the Vita’s unique controls – GamesRadar
• Why WipEout 2048 Is The Vita’s System Seller – TheSixthAxis.com
• For wider appeal, PlayStation Vita can do non-gaming apps like Twitter and Flickr – VentureBeat
• Sony Partners With Playboy Cyber Girl Jo Garcia To Make PlayStation Vita More Sexy – Forbes
• Growlanser: Wayfarer Of Time Coming to North America On PSP Courtesy of Atlus - PSNation.org
• The Top PSP and PS Vita Games of 2012 – 1UP.com
• Post Mortem: Uncharted 3 – PlayStation 3 Feature at IGN
• A Glimpse Behind The Scenes Of PixelJunk SideScroller – PSNStores
• Say Hello to My Little Friend – The PS Vita – The Digital Den
• Six million LittleBigPlanet user levels created; here are some of the best – VentureBeat

At last week’s International CES, I had the opportunity to meet head of Sony Computer Entertainment, President and CEO Andrew House. House ascended to the role after working for Sony in Japan, Europe, and here at SCEA over the past two decades.

In this show floor discussion, I ask House about PlayStation Suite, his outlook on the Western launch of PS Vita, and his goals as CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.

If you’d like to hear how Andrew House got started in the industry and rose through the ranks, listen to his “origin story” on the Official PlayStation Blogcast Episode 007.

We’re at the halfway point of what is (for most of us) a long holiday weekend. Early tomorrow, I’ll be on a jet to Chicago for one of five PlayStation Vita meet-ups to take place this week. We’ve never done social events in Atlanta, Chicago, or Miami, so I’m quite looking forward to meeting new PlayStation fans – even if it means I’m going to have to buy some gloves.

If you can make it to one of the events, be sure to RSVP here so we know much food to bring!

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 9, 2012)

• Skyrim Set in 2012 Is a Lot Less Appealing – Wired.com
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review in Progress – PlayStation 3 Feature at IGN
• The Most Exciting PlayStation 3 Games of 2012 – PS3 Feature at IGN
• “Sorcery” PlayStation Move Brian Upton Interview
• Uncharted 3 leads AIAS 2011 award nominations – Joystiq
• Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD coming Q2, see Munch’s new model – Joystiq
• Vita’s Ruin Becomes ‘Warrior’s Lair’ – VITA News at IGN
• Destructoid’s most wanted PS Vita games of 2012 – Destructoid
• Even The King Of Hell Has Time To Play Dress Up – Siliconera
• Skyrim’s PS3 Lag Getting Addressed This Month – Giant Bomb
• Choplifter HD Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• Ken Levine on the Storytelling Craft of BioShock Infinite – Gamasutra
• Console Showdown 2011: Winner Announced! – Games Feature at IGN
• PlayStation Vita Sparks Interest In Japan, Survey Says – IndustryGamers
• Unit 13 Proves That the PlayStation Vita Can Deliver a Full-Console Experience in the Palms of Your Hands – Kotaku
• CES: Hands-on with PlayMemories on PS Vita and PS3 – IGN
• PlayStation 2 is still selling, 10 years later – Gamasutra
• CES 2012: Another look at PlayStation Vita – USA Today
• Gravity Rush’s Challenge Missions Are The Key To Unlocking Kat’s Abilities – Siliconera
• PlayStation Vita 3G for AT&T; hands-on demo with Unit 13 (video) – The Verge
• PlayStation Vita plays augmented reality soccer (hands-on video) – The Verge
• TNT Racers Review – GameSpot.com
• Sony PlayStation devices hit 6.5 million unit sales over holidays – CNET News
• 21 things you never knew about PS Vita – GamesRadar

A couple of months ago, a video surfaced that showed off some cool-looking augmented reality apps running on PS Vita. Since then, it’s been confirmed that Vita will come with six AR Play Cards and a voucher to download a handful of free augmented reality mini games via the PSN. Today at CES, we were able to see one of these games in action: Table Football (it will be called Table Soccer in the US, because we already have football).

Backstage, Sony Santa Monica Sr. Manager Dave Thach dealt the AR Play Cards on a table, and a soccer pitch sprung to life through the window of the PS Vita’s luscious OLED display. The actual game is kind of like a turn-based soccer match – it reminded me of a 2012 version of paper football. But enough talk, let’s see it in action:

Bonus points if you spotted the Men in Black 3 alien who walked through the frame. Vegas is weird.

Table Soccer is just one of the augmented-reality games you’ll be able to play for free if you pick up a new PS Vita on February 22nd. We’ll highlight more closer to launch right here on the PlayStation.Blog.

Last month, we threw open the doors to a San Francisco location where gamers could just walk right in and go hands on with PlayStation Vita. The reaction was rapturous, but why should California get all the love? Frankly, I think the Golden State is starting to get a little spoiled.

Starting next week, Vita Hill Social Clubs are opening in five of America’s great cities, and we’ll be holding grand opening meetups in all of them:

Tuesday, January 17th

Chicago (click here to RSVP)
1444 N. Milwaukee Ave
Your host: Jeff Rubenstein from PlayStation.Blog

Miami (click here to RSVP)
749 Washington, Miami Beach
Your host: Rey Gutierrez from PlayStation.Blog

New York City (click here to RSVP)
154 Stanton St.
Your host: Sid Shuman from PlayStation.Blog

Wednesday, January 18th

Atlanta (click here to RSVP)
800 Peachtree St.
Your host: Rey Gutierrez from PlayStation.Blog

Boston (click here to RSVP)
579 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge
Your host: Sid Shuman from PlayStation.Blog

All meetups start at 5.30pm local time, ending at 8.30pm. Attendees will feast on free food and beverages, have unfettered access to a dozen PS Vita titles, and enter for chances to win PlayStation prizes. PlayStation.Blog’s design guru Rey Gutierrez even whipped up a special T-shirt for the occasion, which will go to the first 100 people to show up to each meetup. So, you know, don’t be late.

These new Social Clubs are opening in addition to the existing location in San Francisco. We’ll also be opening Social Clubs in Austin, TX and the L.A. area soon. Click here for all locations, addresses, and hours of operation.

Be sure to RSVP to let us know you’re coming (ATL BOS CHI MIA NYC). Hope to see you next week!

One of the things that I like about working for PlayStation is that immediately following the holiday break, we’re right back into the action with the International Consumer Electronics Show. While CES isn’t a huge gaming show, there is always a gaming component – PlayStation Vita is our focus on the show floor this year. And since many gamers are technophiles, many of us have more than a passing interest in the tech on display at this mega-conference. For instance, I first laid eyes on the Bravia XBR HX929 HDTV at last year’s CES…and now I lay eyes on it every night as it hangs on my living room wall.

So with that in mind, we’re once again embedding the CES press conference are livestream right here for your viewing convenience. You’ll see the latest gadgets and tech from Sony Electronics, and you may even spot a celebrity or two. The event kicks off at 5:00pm Pacific/8:00pm Eastern; until then, there won’t be much to watch unless you enjoy gazing into inky blackness.

If you’re having trouble viewing the livestream, please click here. The show starts tonight at 5:00pm Pacific.

Directly after the press conference (around 6pm), the Sony Electronics team stream a live after-show Q&A with Sony Electronics’ president, and our own Kyle Shubel will demo PlayStation Vita live.

We’ll be updating the PlayStation.Blog throughout the week with the latest PlayStation Vita news coming out of CES, so don’t be a stranger to these parts. If you’d like more on the electronics side of the Consumer Electronics Show, click here to visit Sony CES blog.

It’s a whole new year, and around here that means: It’s time for CES.

The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show will be held this coming week, with the Sony press conference taking place tomorrow evening (5pm Pacific time). As we did last year, we’ll be streaming the press event live into the PlayStation Blog. While some game publishers are always in attendance, CES isn’t nearly as game-centric as E3 or Gamescom, and so you’re more likely to see updated impressions of Q1 games than you are to hear earth-shattering announcements. That said, we’ll be featuring PS Vita at CES, so look for new coverage on the PS Blog later this week.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 2, 2012)

• Toys’R'Us has Rayman Origins for $20 with free shipping – Destructoid
• Amy’s PlayStation 3 price to be decided by Facebook poll – Destructoid
• Noby Noby Boy reaches Uranus – Shacknews.com
• Parasite Eve Storyboards Slip Out – Siliconera
• Escape Plan Before Sony Brought It To Vita (Plus Dark Fairytale Game Concept Art) – Siliconera
• dust 514 closed beta signup now live – EVE Insider | Dev Blog
• Trine 2 Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• The House of the Dead 3 and 4 Coming to PSN – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus added to North America’s Vita launch lineup – Joystiq
• Media Molecule: We must continue taking risks – Game Development | News by Develop
• Sonic CD Review – GameSpot.com
• An orchestral ‘Journey’ for thatgamecompany’s new video game – USA Today
• PlayStation Move Game Guide – VGBlogger
• Uncharted Vita: The Art of Treasure Hunting – IGN
• 5 Family-Friendly Features of PlayStation Vita – Wired.com
• Review: The Playstation 3D Display Lets You Bring All Of Your Friends – TechCrunch
• Best of the PS3 in 2011 – YouTube
• Sony PlayStation Vita review (Japan) | The Verge