For those of you who are unable to attend gamescom, we are excited to bring you the latest PS Vita news updates directly from the SCE Europe press conference in Cologne, Germany. In addition to the social features previously announced, PS Vita users will also be able to download dedicated applications for Facebook, foursquare, Skype, and Twitter free of charge directly from the PlayStation Store.

Resistance fans will be happy to hear that the signature PlayStation franchise will join the PS Vita software lineup with Resistance: Burning Skies, a new Resistance experience developed specifically for PS Vita that takes full advantage of the system’s dual analog sticks and features an all-new hero and story written by William C. Dietz, author of Resistance: The Gathering Storm and Resistance: A Hole in the Sky.

SCEE also announced a brand-new title: Escape Plan, a ‘touching adventure’ where you use touch controls to guide our newest characters “Lil” and “Laarg” through a dark labyrinth of puzzles and traps.

Our publishing partners also unveiled some big news at gamescom: Ubisoft will launch a brand-new Assassin’s Creed for PS Vita, and EA Sports is bringing FIFA, the world’s most popular sports title, to the platform. As we mentioned at E3, the biggest and best games are coming to PS Vita, and today’s announcements further confirm that promise.

Please stay tuned as we bring you more updates from gamescom in Germany, and let us know what new titles and applications for PS Vita you’re most excited about in the comments below.