Sony updates YouTube app for the PlayStation Vita

By: Musa Afridi

  |   December 6th, 2012   |  

Uncategorized

Brings a host of improvements and features that make the app on the portable console beyond its PlayStation 3 counterpart.

It seems Sony is far from giving up on the PlayStation Vita and slowly, but surely, it is paying its dividends. The console recorded a massive spike in sales on Black Friday with over 160,000 units sold on the two days and software sales seeing a boost as well.

At the same time, the PlayStation Plus service has also received massive praise and has been released on the portable console as well, thus increasing the value. Not only that but those who already have an existing PlayStation Plus account automatically have access to the PlayStation Vita Plus account as well with no extra charge or cost.

On the games front though things are not as great with Assassin’s Creed: Liberation not defining the console as many thought it would and Black Ops: Declassified being slammed by nearly every review site in existence. There is hope for the future though with Media Molecule developing Tearaway and Guerrilla Games working on Killzone Mercenary.

However, another important aspect of the console is its social networking apps and features. The Twitter app, LiveTweet, say a major update a few months back which was followed promptly by an email app for the console as well.

Now it seems Sony is focusing on the YouTube app, which can be downloaded for free on the console via the PlayStation Store. The latest update brings a plethora of changes, enhancements and features taking it one step further to the actual browser YouTube.

Some of the features introduced in the update include the ability to subscribe to channels, as both Subscriptions and channels have been added making it easier to follow one’s favourite YouTube channels.

The controls have also been given a redo with “Next/Previous buttons added in, a loop video option and the ability to browse videos while another playing, making it easy to select preferred videos without interrupting playback.” Reads the description of the Official US PlayStation Blog.

Playlists can now be created and added while Closed Captions have also been thrown in for those who want that assistance or want to enjoy their video without disturbing those around them.

A continuous playback feature has also been thrown in for good measure and users can now use the PlayStation Vita’s buttons to navigate the interface in addition to the touchscreen.

An improved search feature has also been implemented making finding videos easier and lastly, YouTube videos can now be shared on Twitter, via Email or group messaging.

But what do you think about the update; is it a massive improvement or is it too little too late from Sony? Let us know in the comments section below.