Is it something they've been planning to do for awhile? I have no idea. Is it something reactionary and last minute? I have no idea. They haven't allowed me to sit in on any high level meetings. It would be pretty silly of me to pretend I know either way.
However, the possibilities for this were kind of hinted at during last year's E3 by the team that was working on Ruin. I got the impression then that it was something on the table for consideration.
The idea that cross-buy would lose Sony money is flawed, however. 1) few people are going to buy two copies of the same game. 2) on the other hand, this offers a nice incentive for PS3 owners to consider a Vita. 3) increasing Vita sales will increase software sales across the board, obviously. 4) It's pretty easy to see why cross-buy has the potential to be a net gain.
