PlayStation Vita System Update 2.10 Released

News

In a big surprise to everyone, today we have been treated to a brand new version of the PS Vita’s operating system and it’s an absolutely corker! In previous updates, it’s been little more than minor tweaks and bug fixes with little more information released about what the update actually does, but not this time – Version 2.10 is probably the most significant update to hit the PlayStation Vita for a long time…

Folders

Everyone has been frustrated with the 100 icon limit on the Vita’s home screen for some time and we have all seen the potential issues that this is likely to throw up in the future as our memory cards fill up. Well, after what has seemed like an eternity of asking, we have been given folders for arranging icons. While this may only seem like a minor enhancement what this means is that you can create folders on the home screen and move icons into these. Each folder is, in effect, a new page which can contain up to 10 icons. While they can not have backdrops added to them, it can make organising your Vita much more efficient.

There is still some confusion of whether or not the 100 icon limit has been changed, the folder appears on the home screen as a single “bubble”. When in that folder, to remove an icon back to the home screen you simply “drag it out” so it would imply that the folder is a sub-section of the home screen. If only the folder counts towards the icon limit then it effectively expands the home screen’s capacity ten-fold, otherwise the folders will only enable you to tidy your home screen up. We’ll update you when we have the chance to test this out.

Memory Cards

A minor tweak but a useful one for those of you using more than one memory card on the Vita… in the past, once you swap cards the Vita loses track of where all of your icons were so you need to manually re-arrange them to your preferred positions. Now, when you swap cards, the home screen layout is remembered making multiple cards a joy to use and far more practical for those wanting to expand their storage capacity if you can’t afford to buy larger memory cards.

Web Browser

One problem that we have had to deal with when it comes to the Vita’s web browser is its inability to view embedded videos. While this isn’t a major issue for some, it means that sites like Vita Player or even the official PlayStation Blog can’t display all of it’s content on the Vita properly. Well, this has now been added so sites can be viewed in their entirety! Flash support still isn’t available but what it also potentially means is that sites offering streaming videos like Youtube that were not available in some countries because of the lack of the app may also be opened up through this update.

What Else?

That’s not all that has been added but those are the two main features that has everyone excited. In addition to that, PSN messaging has been updated so it is now possible to send messages to more than one person on your friends list at the same time. The same can also be done to email and support has also been added here for HTML, and a search function. For those of you using the photo viewer, zooming in is now in HD quality and for PlayStation Plus members you can now upload game save data to your cloud storage with a 3G connection if you have the 3G version of the Vita.

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About Simon Plumbe 1097 Articles
Husband, father and lifelong geek. Originally from the West Midlands, now spending my days in South Wales with my family and a house full of animals. Passionate about video games, especially retro gaming, the Commodore 64 and PlayStation Vita. Love pro wrestling, sci-fi and I'm an animal lover and vegetarian. Enjoyed this and my other articles? Why not buy me a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/simonplumbe

2 Comments

  1. Yaaaay… Finally. Folders.
    Just after I pretty much deleted everything for MGS hd.
    Time to dig out my old memory card & fill it with Minis & PS1 games.

  2. The reports coming from Sony at the moment are still saying that the 100 icon limit still remains so if you have a total of 100 games and apps installed (whether they are in folders or not) then that’s it – you won’t be able to install any more.

    Until this limit is removed, it really is going to harm sales of PS Mobile and Minis to Vita owners because we simply aren’t going to have the capacity on our systems to store these games. I had set all of my memory cards up into specific “themes” and set aside a 4Gb card specifically for PSM and Minis. The problem I encountered was that I had used up all 100 icons but still had 1.5Gb of space free!

    What Sony have failed to realise with this limit (and I have said this elsewhere on the site) is that 16 icons are taken up with pre-installed apps, any retail games you own place their icons on the home screen also reducing the number you have available. If, like myself, you are a support of PlayStation Mobile, it means that you will struggle with anything other than a 4Gb card for these.

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