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Sony to roll out PS Vita update to link to PlayStation 4

The latest update for the PS Vita adds a feature called PS4 Link, which will let gamers use the portable console for remote play and as a second screen for the upcoming PlayStation 4.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Sony's PS Vita.
Sony's PS Vita. Sarah Tew/CNET

PS Vita owners who plan to buy a PlayStation 4 will want to grab the latest update for their portable console.

Slated to roll out Tuesday, a software update for the PS Vita promises a host of new features, according to a Sony blog post. Chief among them is an application called PS4 Link. The new link app will allow gamers to use the PS Vita for remote play and as a second screen for the PS4.

Specifically, users will be able to remotely control a PlayStation 4 and play a variety of PS4 games directly on the PS Vita. Further, PS4 games that support a second screen can display information from the game on the Vita. PS4 Link will appear on the Vita's home screen.

But PlayStation 3 owners aren't exactly out in the cold. A new content manager lets PS Vita owners connect the console to a PS3 via Wi-Fi.

The PS Vita update also brings in a panoramic camera setting, improves the layout of the Friends and Messages applications, and adds parental controls to the home screen.

The PlayStation 4 is due to launch in North America on November 15 and in Europe on November 29.