PS Vita Gets Free Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare Apps

Sony Computer Entertainment shed further light on its upcoming PS Vita portable console's social features on Tuesday, announcing free dedicated apps for four popular social networks. Apps for Facebook, Foursquare, Skype and Twitter will be available as standalone applications for the console. According to Sony, these represent the "initial applications" in a larger social networking and communications lineup. The apps will be downloadable for free through the company's PlayStation Store. Sony's PS Vita handheld will be available in Japan by the end of the year, and in the United States and Europe early next year. Sony did not specify a timeframe for any of these four apps. The company announced this morning that all Vita software will be available digitally, a first for any major dedicated platform that plays games on physical media.