With state of the art specs and gameplay experiences that rival the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita is the most advanced gaming handheld on the market, which begs the question: why is its operating system so slow and unintuitive? Here are a few simple solutions that would greatly improve the PS Vita software.
Instantaneous App Launching
The simplest way to improve the user experience on the PS Vita's primary interface is to eliminate the superflous window that appears after tapping an icon. Instead of just loading the app or game that you selected, the PS Vita opens a new window that showcases recent friend activity associated with that program, quick links to the PSN Store, software update notifications and a Start button. While the information and functions presented in the launcher window is certainly useful, it would save time and be more relevant if it were integrated into the app or game itself.
Folder Organization
Every function of the PS Vita, whether it be the trophy collection viewer or a game you downloaded from the PSN, is presented as a bubble shaped icon. At first, the icons are few, but as you download new apps and games the UI quickly comes to span multiple panels, cluttering up your home screen. Sony should take a cue from iOS or Android and allow users to organize apps and games into custom folders. Folder functionality would clean up the home screen and make finding and launching software faster and more intuitive.
Streamlined Social Tools
In order to access your friends list, message another user or form a party, users must find and launch each function's associated app. What's more, many of the social functions overlap, making the separation all the more redundant. Sony needs to consolidate these functions into a single PSN app or better yet, build them into the framework of the OS itself. Instead of having to hop in and out of an app (or several), social features should be accessible from within any view. In a way, it should behave just like it does on the PS3 - tap the home button to open an overlay that shows your friends list and allows you to quickly send and view messages.
Better Wi-Fi Management
With such battery taxing components, like dual quad-core processors, an OLED display and wireless connectivity, energy conservation is critical when using the PS Vita. The easiest way to maximize battery life is to reduce the brightness of the display and disable Wi-Fi when its not in use. While Sony allows users to reduce screen brightness on the fly by simply tapping and holding the home button, the Wi-Fi can only be disabled from within the main settings menu. Perhaps a bit nit-picky, but making Wi-Fi control more readily accessible would allow players to more effectively optimize battery use and ultimately, have a better user experience.
Improved Multitasking
Popping in and out of active apps and games on the PS Vita is relatively simple, but the system lacks true multitasking support. While you can have several of the system's core functions running simultaneously, you can only have one game or app active at once. For instance, if you're playing Super Star Dust Delta but want to check out your Twitter feed, the PS Vita will require you to shut the game down first. If the iPhone allows multiple apps and games to be suspended in save states, why can't the more powerful PS Vita?
Expanded Desktop Client
The Content Manager is great for backing up saves and syncing media from your PC or Mac, but it's difficult to use for any substantial data management. With the PSP, Sony had Media Go, which gave users a comprehensive view of their games, saves and media library and manage the data synched with their handheld quickly. Despite having a much wider array of functions and media capabilities, Sony abandoned the Media Go software with the launch of the PS Vita.
What features do you think the PS Vita is lacking? What would you like to see changed? Sound off in the comments section below.
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