Sony Drops Youtube and Maps on PS Vita

[Sakitoshi]

Sony published that is going to drop support of the Youtube and Maps apps and also remove some of the functions of the [near] app.

All features of the [Maps] application and some features of the [near] application will be disabled with the PlayStation®Vita system software update planned on March, 2015.
Functionalities of the applications will be removed automatically once users update their PlayStation®Vita.

The disablement of features will not affect gameplay.

While the maps function was really lackluster, the Youtube app was heavily used for some people and was particularly useful to watch walkthroughs and such. fortunately you can access Youtube through the Browser.
The removal of some functions on the [near] app could render some trophies unobtainable in certain games, although I doubt they would remove the item share function but rather the map that appear when you look for nearby people.

Very unfortunate and alarming as this is the first solid sign of carelessness of Sony towards the Vita. I just hope this is just another case of expiring licenses and nothing more. I myself will be backing up the Youtube app to my laptop just to see if you can bypass his removal that way.

Source

 

[Guild McCommunist]

This does not sound promising for the Vita, usually you'll hear of them discontinuing apps or functions like ten years after a console is out.

I never used Maps or [near] but the Youtube app was actually quite good. I guess they don't want to continue spending money on developing for it.

 

[emmanu888]

I got my Vita last year and honestly? It became nothing more than a device for PS4 remote play for me. Because hey, i can use the Vita like some sort of Gamepad and play my PS4 while my TV is free.

 

[Chris_Highwind]

Yes, Sony, we get it, you want the Vita to die already.

Looks like they're already killing off the Vita, judging from this act.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

This is pretty sucky 'cause watching YouTube on Vita is like one of its pros and taking that away is a shame but hey you can still watch it via the Internet Browser so not all's lost.

 

[Gahars]

Isn't Youtube one of the most common, basic apps available for any platform at this point? If you can't even keep that up, then you're not even trying.

 

[FireGrey]

Wow the whole 2 people who own a vita are going to be disappointed

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Wow the whole 2 people who own a vita are going to be disappointed

During all these years I only saw one person in real life that actually owned a Vita. It's cute, it's like seeing a monkey playing with a ball.

 

[Digital.One.Entity]

What a Turd the Vita has turned out be really..... Lifespan has been 2-3 yrs of wasted potential & clouded promises






Waiting for a native hack so I can Pirate the 5 worthwhile games on the Handheld........

 

[BORTZ]

Isn't Youtube one of the most common, basic apps available for any platform at this point? If you can't even keep that up, then you're not even trying.

I dont think so.

From some of my friends that work at "YouTube" (yeah its a place lol) they say that the player can be a bit of a bitch, always changing servers for video hosting, 4 or 5 different formats for each video, etc. The way I see it is that yeah, the might be a double pronged house keeping act. On the one hand Vita support is waning as far as Sony is concerned. Which is sad. Not seeing the Vita live up to the hype and promises that early ad campaigns stoked makes me wonder about what gaming with a vita would be like if I could, in fact, pause my ps3 game and pick it up on my vita. Or better use of the cross save system. Which the CSS works, you have to save a SPECIFIC points, its not seamless like they make it look. I digress.

Dropping Youtube support doesnt really strike me as all that big of a deal. Reason 1, there arent many people who dont have a phone now-a-days that cant play videos better with the official app or browser at higher quality with better connection speeds. Reason 2, you can still use the Vita browser to do your youtubes if you must.

Dropping "Near" is even less significant if you ask me. While I think it might have been a nice idea, anyone with a wifi Vita is never going to touch it, nor would anyone REALLY opt to use it over a phone, dedicated GPS device, or go through the hassle of having your vita added to your mobile plan, especially if you arent already an AT&T customer. Now, granted, AT&T fields quite a few people with mobile plans, but not everyone.

On the surface, dropping either of these things might come as a shock, but think about it for a few minutes. I dont see these decisions as any sort of dealbreaker, nor do they spell out "DOOM" in the sky for the vita.

No, that was when Sony came out and publicly announced they were not making any first party AAA games for the Vita.

 

[Ryupower]

it might not be 100% on sony with the support drop for the apps

the vita maps app its a Google map app
and
youtube is Google owned

Google might not support the vita apps anymore
Google wants you to use the Google web site for maps and mobile youtube for youtube

 

[BORTZ]

it might not be 100% on sony with the support drop for the apps

the vita maps app its a Google map app
and
youtube is Google owned

Google might not support the vita apps anymore
Google wants you to use the Google web site for maps and mobile youtube for youtube

I didnt even think about that

 

[Sakitoshi]

it might not be 100% on sony with the support drop for the apps

the vita maps app its a Google map app
and
youtube is Google owned

Google might not support the vita apps anymore
Google wants you to use the Google web site for maps and mobile youtube for youtube

That's what I hope, seeing how all the other Youtube apps have received updates(3DS doesn't count, is just a glorified browser) and the Vita was left behind I wonder Google just took the easy path of discontinuing the app.

Now if the app was handled by Sony...

 

[emigre]

Meh. I use my smartphone/tablet/PC for Youtube and google maps. As long I get my weeaboo and indie gaems, I'm dandy as fuck.

It does suck if you use your vita for Youtubes and Gmaps.

 

[Terenigma]

I use youtube on my VITA to watch shows and stuff in bed before i go to sleep so this sucks... couldnt care less about the maps one tho.

 

[Flame]

wait....

my vita has maps and youtube?






no fucks were given.

Wow the whole 2 people who own a vita are going to be disappointed

 

[ComeTurismO]

Thank God this was posted. I'm now reconsidering to purchase the Vita.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Hey look, apps I never used that will still be accessible anyways by just using the browser which adds maybe one extra step to the whole process. As Bortz said, this is hardly a big deal, and was mentioned by Ryupower, this is probably just Google making a decision based on numbers and resources for where their support should go. Regardless, the Vita really won't be any worse off. I agree with emigre in that, as long as I get my weeaboo and indie shit, I'm good to go. I have plenty of other titles already, exclusives, ports, and indies alike that have made the system worthwhile.

 

[Flame]

Thank God this was posted. I'm now reconsidering to purchase the Vita.

wait you don't buy gaming consoles based on what games it has but which shitty apps it has?

logic of kids today.

 

[ComeTurismO]

wait you don't buy gaming consoles based on what games it has but which shitty apps it has?

logic of kids today.

Well some people like to use YouTube, when their computers are not corresponding.