| PlayStation Vita system software | |
|---|---|
 | |
 LiveArea, the user interface of the PlayStation Vita | |
| Developer | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Written in | C,assembly language |
| OS family | Proprietary OS (containing components which are basedFreeBSD andNetBSD) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Closed source |
| Initial release | December 17, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-12-17) (as 1.03) |
| Latest release | 3.74 / May 10, 2022; 3 years ago (2022-05-10) |
| Available in | Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English (United Kingdom), English (United States), Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish[1] |
| Update method |
|
| Supported platforms | PlayStation Vita andPlayStation TV |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Default user interface | LiveArea |
| Preceded by | PlayStation Portable (system software) |
| Official website | |
ThePlayStation Vita system software is the officialfirmware andoperating system for thePlayStation Vita andPlayStation TVvideo game consoles. It uses theLiveArea as itsgraphical shell. The system is built on a custom kernel with some components derived fromFreeBSD andNetBSD.[2][3]
The LiveArea is the name of thegraphical user interface of the PlayStation Vita system software developed bySony Computer Entertainment. The interface features a new touch-based screen and acts like a hub page and allows users to switch between different parts of the game space.[4] The eighth-generationPlayStation Vita andPlayStation TV consoles use LiveArea as thegraphical shell instead of the previousXrossMediaBar (XMB) interface, which was used by Sony's seventh-generationvideo game consoles such asPlayStation Portable andPlayStation 3. ThePlayStation 4, Sony's eighth-generationhome video game console however uses neither LiveArea nor XrossMediaBar as its graphical shell, but rather utilizes a user interface called PlayStation Dynamic Menu.[5]
The LiveArea user interface includes various social networking features via thePlayStation Network (PSN). Users can select the icon for a game or an application on the home screen to open the LiveArea screen for that game or application in PlayStation Vita or PlayStation TV. As a new feature of PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV's LiveArea, latest game information such as downloadable contents are shown on the LiveArea screen for that game. In addition, by scrolling down the game's LiveArea, the "Activity" of other users who are playing the same game can be checked instantly.
The PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation TV support a feature calledRemote Play with the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4. It allows the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 to transmit its video and audio output to a PlayStation Vita or PlayStation TV. While Remote Play between the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 4 is well-integrated, Remote Play between the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 3 is only supported by a "select" few PS3 titles and results were oftenlaggy.[6] In a similar vein, the PlayStation Vita can be used as asecond screen device for the PS4 (and for PS3, but only supported by very few games such asClass of Heroes 2G) for streaming content directly from the console to the PlayStation Vita.[7]
Also, for users who own both the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 3, it is possible to share media files videos, music and images between them by transferring multimedia files directly from the PlayStation Vita to the PlayStation 3, or vice versa.[8] Updates for the PlayStation Vita system software can also be downloaded to PS Vita devices via a PS3 system. Furthermore, a service called Cross-Buy can be used which allows players to buy certain games that support this feature one time, and play them in both Sony platforms.Minecraft andTerraria are examples of such games, and their saved worlds are transferable between the consoles.[9] Minecraft is no longer cross buy as of February 25, 2016.[citation needed]
There is also a feature called Cross-Play (or Cross-Platform Play[10]) covering any PlayStation Vita software title that can interact with a PlayStation 3 or a PlayStation 4 software title. Different software titles use Cross-Play in different ways. For example,Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a title supporting the Cross-Play feature, and the PS3 version of the game can be controlled using the PS Vita system.
With an Internet connection, the PlayStation Vita system allows users to access a variety of PSN services such as thePlayStation Store and thePlayStation Plus subscription service, and games and other content may be purchased from these services. Applications such as the Live from PlayStation app, as well as various video streaming apps, also require an Internet connection to function properly.
The "Browser" is a preinstalled app on the PlayStation Vita for browsing theWorld Wide Web. Although not very different fromweb browsing on a PlayStation Portable, the browser itself has been improved over the PSP's version, which is intended to result in a less difficult experience. The browser application does not havetabs, but users can have up to 8 separate browser windows open at once, and can also save images from websites to the PS Vita memory card by touching and holding on the image until a menu appears. However, while users can use the web browser while playing a game or watching a video, the display of some content will be limited; as a result, it is recommended to exit any open game or video before performing more intensive browsing tasks. Furthermore, while the PS Vita's web browser supportsHTML5,cookies andJavaScript, it does not supportAdobe Flash, unlike the PSP's web browser.[11]
Another application preinstalled on the PlayStation Vita at launch was "Maps", which displayedonline maps when an Internet connection was available. However, it was removed by Sony via a system update in 2015, along with a feature in the "near" application that shared the technology used by Maps.[12]
Like many other game consoles, the PlayStation Vita is capable of photo, audio, and video playback in a variety of formats, and the built-incameras can be used to take photos or videos. However, unlike the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4, it is not possible to playBlu-ray orDVD movies on the PlayStation Vita since it lacks anoptical disc drive, or aUMD drive as with the PlayStation Portable. However, users can transfer movies in a supported format from and to a PlayStation Vita system, and there are videos for download at thePlayStation Store. Also, users can transfer content that is playing or displayed on a PlayStation Vita system to a PlayStation TV system, allowing them to view the content on theirtelevisions instead of PS Vita screens. The following multimedia formats are supported on a PS Vita or a PS TV system:
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