If you haven’t fired up your PlayStation Vita in the last 24 hours, then it’s time to do so as Sony has a brand new firmware update for the powerful handheld with a few nice additions. A great many of the enhancements revolve around not needing to connect your PS Vita to the PS3 or PC for content, like downloading previously purchased media from Sony’s music and video library. Instead, you will now be able to simply redownload the content be visiting the appropriate section on PSN. Nearly two weeks ago, Sony updated their ToS for Video and Music Unlimited, giving users access to download their content multiple times and bringing the service in line with other platforms like iTunes.

Other enhancements include easier access to Trophies, cloud saved files, and the web browser. After the jump, the full list of features from the PlayStation Vita system software update 2.60 awaits you.

Main features in system software update version 2.60

PlayStation^®Network

• It is now easier to access PlayStation^®Network servers so you can upload or download saved data. To use this feature, a subscription to PlayStation^®Plus is necessary.
  Tap  (PlayStation^®Plus) on the LiveArea™ screen of each game.

(Music) / (Video)

• You can now play content saved on a connected device, such as a PS3™ system or a computer, without copying the content to your PS Vita. Select the connected device from the list of categories, and then tap the content to play it instantly.
  • The Content Manager Assistant for PlayStation^® on your computer must be updated.

 (Settings)

• [Bluetooth^® Settings] has been moved from [Network] settings to the newly added [Devices] settings

Other

• You can now adjust network features from the menu that appears when you press and hold the PS button. > See details

 

Other new or revised features in version 2.60

Home screen

• You can now use the PS Vita system’s buttons to customize the home screen. On the home screen, when you press a button on the PS Vita system, the cursor appears on the screen. To enter edit mode, press the  button while the cursor is displayed.

Games

• The method for displaying the menu in PSP™Game software and PSOne^®Classics software has been changed. When a game is running, press and hold the PS button to display the menu.

 (Trophies)

• You can now adjust for each game whether to show the trophies you earned. Tap  (PlayStation^®Network), and then tap the game you want to adjust settings for. Tap the  (Options) > [Privacy Settings] > [Show Trophies for This Game] checkbox to set a checkmark to enable this setting.

 (Browser)

• You can now adjust playback settings, such as those for the screen and subtitles, while watching a streaming video on a Web page. Tap  (Options) > [Settings] during playback.

 (Video)

• You can now make detailed adjustments to how closed captions are displayed. During playback, tap the  (Options) > [Settings] > [Accessibility] > [Display as Specified by Content checkbox to remove the checkmark, and then tap [Advanced Settings] on the screen that is displayed.

 (Content Manager)

• The method for adjusting saved data auto-upload settings has been changed. Settings adjusted on the  (Information) screen for each saved data item can now be adjusted with [Select Saved Data] under  (Content Manager) > [Start] >  (Online Storage) > [Saved Data Auto-Upload]. To use this feature, a subscription to PlayStation^®Plus is necessary.

 (Settings)

• [Show Trophies] has been added under [PlayStation^®Network] > [Privacy Settings], and you can now adjust the range of who can see information about your earned trophies.

Update:

Thanks to our Facebook reader Steve for the additional information about the new firmware update:

• You can now hide games from the public trophy list (Vita or PS3) any percentage completed.
  • Got to trophy App, make sure you’re in the PSN column, click game then (…) at bottom right corner and select [PrivacySettings]. Good feature to hide your embarrassing Hannah Montanna Platinum trophy or all those 0% games!

Discuss:

What enhancement would you like to see come next to the PlayStation Vita?

[Via Sony]