PS Vita 1.8 update brings 9 PSone Classics games to USA, 129 to EU

By Chris Burns/Aug. 27, 2012 11:56 pm EST

If you're living in North America and are excited about getting your first shot at a collection of classic PlayStation games on your PS Vita, you're in luck. So to speak, that is, as there's just 9 titles on this list. If you want to play a PSone Classics game, you'll be choosing from a list of 9 titles. You read that right. There's also a firmware update for the PS Vita if you like to make sure you're in the now, also.

This firmware update is version 1.80 and will bring you official support for the PSone Classics lineup of original PlayStation games. Updating your device will also bring you the ability to navigate menues in a variety of new ways, the most important being with the system's analog sticks and buttons. You'll be able to make use of your device with Cross Controller functionality once your upgrade is done, and you'll be able to use your rear touchpad to scroll and zoom in while browsing the web.

This update's support of PSone Classics is a bit bittersweet here in the USA as only the following collection is available right off the bat. That said, Europe's book of available games is much larger in the first week, and the video above notes that more games will be popping up each week here in the USA as well. It's Don Mesa, director of Handheld Consoles Product Planning and Platform Software Innovation at SCEA that you're listening to, and he confirms "phased rollouts", however that will work, with games in the future in the PSone Classics ever-growing set of loveliness.

• Arc the Lad

• Cool Boarders 2

• Final Fantasy VII

• Hot Shots Golf 2

• Jet Moto

• Syphon Filter

• Tomb Raider

• Twisted Metal 2

• Wild Arms

Each of these titles will be available in the USA starting this week, while Europe's initial lineup starts on August 29th (that's also this week) and includes a massive 129 original PlayStation game lineup. Gotta catch em all! Let us know which games you're looking forward to if you live in the USA – don't forget Tony Hawk!