Sony announces PlayStation Mobile, bite-sized games for PlayStation Certfiied Devices and PlayStation Vita.

Sony officially announced plans for its PlayStation Mobile initiative at Gamescom today, promising bite-sized games for PlayStation Certified, Android-powered devices and PlayStation Vita this year.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO Jim Ryan said at Sony's Gamescom press conference that PlayStation Mobile will offer games from major and indie developers through the company's PlayStation Store. Game purchases are tied to your PlayStation Network ID. Buy a PlayStation Mobile game once, Sony says, and play it on any PlayStation Certfiied Device and PS Vita.

The service will initially be available in nine countries including Japan, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia with more countries to follow.

Following the launch of the dedicated content for PlayStation Mobile through the PlayStation Store, the PlayStation Mobile Developer Program, which includes the official version of the PlayStation Mobile SDK, will become available to the development community for $99 for the US market (the price may differ in other markets).

Developers that have signed up to create dedicated content for the service include THQ, Team 17, Action Button Entertainment, Muteki Corporation, Vlambeer vof and Necrosoft.

In addition to PSM, Sony also announced two new PlayStation Certified partners, ASUS and Wikipad.

The PlayStation Mobile brand was officially announced at E3 2012, a rebranding of Sony's PlayStation Suite.