Is Sony’s PlayStation Vita worth a buy?

By: Musa Afridi

  |   September 3rd, 2012   |  

Uncategorized

Part 3:

Apart from Sony’s in-house social networking programs, the Vita also comes with applications for Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Skype. Although the console does have its own web browser, it does not support most video files, hence the YouTube application, which runs smooth and without a fuss.

The Twitter application is called ‘Live Tweet’ and is an absolute joy to use. If ever there was a way to tweet then it is this app on the Vita. Users can type, share images and do everything that the PC and smart phone versions of Twitter can do but the Vita can do it with more fluency.

If gaming and Twitter are two things the consumer enjoys, then Sony’s console is something they need to check out. The application, along with the others are free downloads from the PlayStation Store.

On the other hand, the Facebook application leaves a lot to be desired as opening Notifications results in the app going to the background and the web browser filling the screen only to show an error and half of what the user wanted to see.

There is no denying that the app could use a few extra coats of polish and some better code, but it gets the job done, albeit barely.

Skype is another application that has made the transition to the Vita well. Users can opt to use either the front-facing or rear-facing cameras for their video calls and although the camera isn’t amazing, it is more than adequate for video chat.

The User Interface is simple and easy to use and the only drawback is the fact that users cannot type messages or send/receive links as text chat is not supported.

One can expect more applications to be made available for the console soon, but how soon is the big question as Sony has not commented on the matter. Although the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype should keep users happy, one has to wonder if Sony plans on releasing Instagram on the Vita.

The Vita also doubles as a music player, although it has to be said that although transferring music onto the console is easy, the player on the Vita itself is missing some fundamental features.

Firstly, the music player does not allow users to create their own playlists. They can import playlists from their PS3s or PCs, but that is about it. A recent update allowed users to import playlists from iTunes but why Sony has not been able to allow the console to create its own custom playlists is a mystery.

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