PlayStation Vita update brings PSOne classics, new features

Sony's given its PlayStation Vita console a software makeover, adding the ability to download classic PSOne games, as well as a bunch of new features.

The version 1.80 update is available today, and starting tomorrow, 29 August, a healthy number of vintage PlayStation games will be available to buy via the PS Store on your Vita. Not every game on the list is going to spark a bubbly wave of nostalgia, but I did spy favourites such as Silent Hill, Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy 7.

As well as the chance to re-live a precious chunk of your childhood, Sony's made a load of revisions to the Vita's built-in software. You can now use the D-pad to select options on the homescreen, for example, instead of having to rely on the touchscreen.

Weirdly, that's not something that'll be turned on by default, so you'll need to activate it in the settings menu.

Meanwhile there's a persistent search box at the top of the browser, and you can use the trackpad on the back of the Vita to scroll around webpages. A wider notification bar and iTunes playlist downloads are among other new goodies.

You should be prompted to install the update next time you connect to the PlayStation Network from your Vita console.

This is a lot of good news for Vita owners, though many of these software tweaks should really have been present when the console went on sale in February.

The ability to download classic games is also something that could have helped Sony's handheld in its early days. When it's no mean feat to get old PlayStation titles running on an Android phone, for example, it doesn't look great when Vita owners are left waiting.

Still, better late than never. Let me know which retro masterpieces you'll be downloading in the comments below, or on our Facebook wall.