Out and about

This isn't going to do anything to reassure people that the PlayStation Vita is alive and well. Sony has announced this morning that it will be discontinuing support for the YouTube, Maps, and Near applications on its flagship handheld soon. The video streaming software will be delisted from the PlayStation Store today, but will function until 20th April.

The platform holder recommends using the handheld's browser if you want to continue viewing kitten clips on your console, but clearly the experience isn't going to be anywhere near as rich. Speculation is already rife that this is due to Google switching from YouTube API v2 to YouTube API v3 – which the Japanese giant has had a year to prepare for.

Meanwhile, the Maps app will be removed as part of a March update, rendering some functions of Near redundant. You won't, for example, be able to obtain your location address, which, we imagine, will prevent you from searching for Game Goods – not that anyone ever did anyway. Some data will be saved in the software, so all is not entirely lost.

The sad thing about all of this is that it looks like a bit of a death knell for the put upon platform. While we can understand the manufacturer giving up on Near – the idea was always solid, but the execution just wasn't there – it's crazy to think that it's removing YouTube, especially if the reason really is that it can't spare the time to update the app to employ the new API.

Has this shattered your faith in Sony's portable system, or do you think that this is a minor mishap all things considered? Do less on your Vita in the comments section below.

[source twitter.com, via support.us.playstation.com, faq.en.playstation.com, gameranx.com]