We learned back in June that the PS Vita could play nice with the PS3, but how much can the two systems do together? Apparently about as much as the Wii U.
Sony Europe R&D manager Phil Rogers said at the Develop Conference 2011 that the "PS3 can send data down to Vita and Vita can display it. You could use the unique features [of Vita] - gyroscope, touch front and back—as a control device for a PS3 game."
Vita will also be able to display encoded video from the PS3, acting as a second screen in case your TV is already in use, something emphasized by Nintendo when announcing the Wii U.
A second display with motion controls and touch screen sounds a lot like the Wii U, but Sony's latest addition to the handheld market is still emphasizing the mobile aspect of the Vita with "Title User Storage".
With "Title Use Storage" Vita owners start a game on their PS3, save it to cloud storage, then continue it on their PS Vita. This function will only be available in certain games such as upcoming action RPG Ruin.
Rogers said that Sony's third-party team is encouraging developers to take advantage of PS Vita's new features.
Sony: Use Vita as a PS3 controller [Eurogamer via Eurogamer.net]