gamescom

During their Gamescom 2012 keynote today, Sony showed off new Cross Control features for LittleBigPlanet 2, where the PlayStation Vita can act as a dynamic controller for the game while playing on the PS3.

Playing LittleBigPlanet 2, we were shown how not only could the Vita work as a controller, but the Vita’s screen could be used to interact with the game in other ways. In one section, Sackboy is running through what seems like a normal hallway, but on the Vita, you can see hidden traps that have been placed. In another scene, items on the screen need to be moved, and you can only do so by touching the items on the Vita’s screen and manipulating them there.

Controls and interactivity aren’t the only ways in which the Vita can interact with the PS3 in LittleBigPlanet 2. In order to solve one of the puzzles in the demo we’re shown, Sackboy jumps from the PS3′s display to the Vita, where the action then continues on that smaller screen. Or, in multiplayer games, the player using the Vita can interact with the game in a different way than the other players, offering up some very interesting competitive situations.

Wait… haven’t we heard all of this before? We have—it’s called the Wii U. We knew before that Sony was looking to do some very Wii U-like things with the combination of the PS3 and Vita, and today’s presentation was definitive proof that Sony is eager to show that the biggest features of Nintendo’s new system can already be done on their platform.

Cross Control functionality for LittleBigPlanet 2 will be coming as a DLC expansion for the game.