Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

PlayStation Vita online features detailed at Develop 2011

By
PlayStation Vita
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony announced the PlayStation Vita, it’s latest portable gaming system, earlier this year. Details on the device have dribbled out slowly since then, barring the big E3 reveal of the price and 3G service provider in June. The latest update from Sony comes by way of the Develop 2011 conference, where the hardware maker revealed exactly how the PS Vita will work its online magic.

Four of the Vita’s online features were detailed — Near, Party, LiveArea and Activity — according to a report from Eurogamer. Sony Europe R&D manager Phil Rogers does a good job of laying out the basics for each one, so I’ll let his words take it from here…

Recommended Videos

Near: “What Near does is it allows users to discover each other, leave gifts for each other and essentially find out more about games. You can see where people are in relation to your location, their five most recently played games and also gifts that they’ve registered.”

Related

Party: It sounds like Party compares with Xbox Live’s own party chat; Rogers says that the feature is “really good for having friends together to discuss games, chat about them and get into them.” It’s a “platform-wide” feature that allows up to four friends to link up and chat using voice or text even if they’re not playing the same game. Now if only PlayStation 3 would follow suit.

LiveArea: “The LiveArea is essentially where you go to launch your PlayStation Vita day,” Rogers said. This feature includes three modes, Index, Live and Game. It sounds like a central menu interface from which you can learn about new DLC and update releases for a given game. Developers will also be able to make use of the device’s GPS features, though what could be done with that isn’t clear.

Activity: Activity sounds like it is connected in some way to LiveArea. As Rogers describes it, “Activity is a way for players to discuss progress. The system automatically puts a few activities in there [such as Trophies and ratings]. That encourages people to then comment similar to Facebook style.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adam Rosenberg
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Best video game deals: PlayStation 5, Xbox S and X, Nintendo Switch

If you've recently bought yourself a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or  Nintendo Switch, then you might want to fill out your library with a bunch of great games. While there is a huge catalog to pick from, we've gone out and found our favorite game deals, with many of the games below showing up on our list of best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, or best Nintendo Switch games. So, whether you just got one of these consoles, or exhausted your already existing library, be sure to check out all the deals below.

Best PS5 game deals
Deathloop -- $26, was $60

Read more
PlayStation 6: release date speculation, price, specs, and more
sony reveals customizable ps5 dualsense edge controller front and back

In a recent quote, Sony Senior Vice President Naomi Matsuoka said: "Looking ahead, PS5 will enter the latter stage of its life cycle." Many in the industry took that to mean that we may be hearing about the next PlayStation console sooner rather than later.

Considering Sony has yet to break its naming convention, it feels safe to assume whatever future home console we get will be called the PlayStation 6. But not only has the name not been officially confirmed, but neither has the idea of a next-generation PlayStation console or even a PS5 Pro. It's almost a guarantee, but technically nothing is set in stone. Rumors and potential leaks have already started stirring up excitement, so let's see what the future of PlayStation may look like according to the rumors.
Release date speculation

Read more
The most common PSVR 2 problems and how to fix them
A PSVR2 headset on a sky-blue background.

The hype around PSVR 2 has largely died off just a year after its launch, though there's no denying it’s a cool piece of tech. Making big strides from the original PSVR, the latest headset from Sony offers better graphics, improved tracking capabilities, and introduced the world to the sleek new Sense controllers, which make it easier than ever to interact with your virtual world.

But, like all new pieces of tech, PSVR 2 isn't without its issues. From faulty Sense controllers to blurry images, here's a look at the most common PSVR 2 issues and how to fix them. Many of these steps will also work with PSVR, though note the menu navigation might be slightly different.
Your Sense controller isn't working properly

Read more