PlayStation Vita system software

The PlayStation Vita system software is the official, updatable firmware and operating system for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV (known in Asia as PlayStation Vita TV).

The process of updating is almost identical to that of the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. The system software may be updated by downloading the update directly to the PS Vita over Wi-Fi, downloading the update via a PS3 system, downloading the update via a PC, or installing via a PS Vita game card containing update data. PlayStation TV systems can also update via Ethernet connection. The PlayStation Vita uses the LiveArea as its graphical shell. The PlayStation Vita system software has one optional add-on component, the PlayStation Mobile Runtime Package. The system is built on a Unix-base which is derived from FreeBSD and NetBSD.

The current version of the system software, 3.55, was made available on September 30, 2015.

LiveArea
The LiveArea is the graphical user interface of the PlayStation Vita system software developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The interface features a new touch-based screen and acts like a hub page and allows users to hop between different parts of the game space. The eighth-generation PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV consoles use LiveArea as the graphical shell instead of the previous XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface, which was used by Sony's seventh-generation video game consoles such as PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. PlayStation 4, Sony's eighth-generation home video game console however uses neither LiveArea nor XrossMediaBar as its graphical shell, but rather utilizes a user interface called PlayStation Dynamic Menu.

The PlayStation Vita system software uses LiveArea as its user interface, which includes various social networking features via the PlayStation Network. 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.

Compatible media formats
The PlayStation Vita is capable of photo, audio, and video playback in a variety of formats. The following table lists the photo, audio, and video formats that are supported on PS Vita.


 * Image formats
 * JPEG
 * GIF
 * TIFF
 * BMP
 * PNG


 * Audio formats
 * MP3
 * MP3 Surround
 * WAV
 * WMA 9
 * MP4 Audio
 * MPEG-4 Part 3
 * AAC / AAC Low Complexity (unprotected)


 * Video formats
 * MP4 SP
 * MP4 AVC / MP4 H.264 Baseline, Main, or High Profile Level 4.1