livearea
Latest
PS Vita's interface, background downloading, and Getting Started video
The PlayStation Vita's interface shows a strong iPhone influence, from its touch-only navigation to its stylized unlock screen. In the above video, I provide a quick overview of the UI and touch interface the new handheld system uses, including its multitasking capabilities and "LiveArea" loading screens. I also lie, a bit -- after recording the video, I discovered the obvious fact that you can rearrange your icons, simply by holding a finger on the screen for a few seconds. Just slightly longer than I did in the video. Again, just like an iPhone. From there, you can move or delete items, or change the color of the background. Apologies for the error in the video. After the break, in another video, I use a quick jaunt to the PlayStation Store to demonstrate the background downloading features. I didn't go too in-depth into the PS Store because it's basically lists of Japanese text at this point. Finally, you can see the unskippable introductory video that greets every new Vita user upon starting up the system for the first time.
PlayStation Vita's Near, LiveArea and other social features outlined
Between its Near, Party, LiveArea and Activity social features, there's a whole lot going on under the hood of the PlayStation Vita. SCEE R&D exec Phil Rogers broke down those capabilities at Develop last week: Near, for instance, will allow Vita owners to look at the favorite games of nearby players, and allow players to drop and pick up "gifts," which could range from special in-game items to high score challenges. Rogers explained that Party will give players cross-game chat capabilities, allowing them to invite friends to groups and launch games directly through the UI, which all party members will be invited to. The LiveArea is a tad more esoteric: it will display information about software as it is launched, and will allow users to "comment on people's activities within the game as well as publish your messages." Sounds like the perfect receptacle for smack talk. Finally, the Activity feed will show the in-game accomplishments of friends (including high scores and Trophy unlocks) in real time. The feed can also be updated by publishers and developers, though Rogers suggested, "it's important not to spam users too much and to use it sensibly." We pray that Rogers' advice is heeded.
NGP 'LiveArea' UI to support Trophies, PSN friends and messaging
LiveArea is NGP's "game-oriented communication platform," according to Sony. In other words, it's the device's (touch-controlled!) user interface -- apparently replacing the XMB -- featuring access to the PlayStation Store, Trophies, PSN friends, messaging, the browser, and other applications. Each game will have some form of LiveArea presence, too, apparently keeping you up to date on news and even its other players (in case you bore of simply playing the game). Additionally, LiveArea will include the "Near" feature that tracks your location over time and creates a map of where you've been. (That's not creepy at all!) Read more about it here.
