Sony PlayStation Vita User manual

This sectionintroduces the basic operations of your PS Vita system and gives hints about how to get the most
from your PS Vita system.
Hardware part names
Types of card media
Charging
Turning your PS Vita system on and off
Touch operations, and sensing orientation and motion
Basic operations
Controlling with buttons on the system
Using the screens
Starting and closing applications
Displaying software manuals
Customizing the home screen
Entering text
Connecting to the Internet
Muting the audio
Adjusting the brightness of the screen
Taking a screenshot
Using menus
Using parental controls
Before disposing of your PS Vita system
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PlayStation®Vita
User's Guide
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Basics
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This guide is for use with system software version 2.60 or later.
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Front Side
Top Side
SCEI Confidential
Power Button / Power indicator
PS Vita card slot / Vita card access indicatorVOL + button / VOL - button
Front camera
R button
△button / ○button/
×button / □button
Right stick
Right speaker
Select button
Start button
Strap holder
L button
Left stick
Left speaker
PS button
Directional buttons
Screen (touchscreen)
Hardware part names

Rear Side
Bottom Side
SCEI Confidential
Rear camera
Rear touch pad
Memory card slot
USB port
Microphone
Headset jack
Hardware part names

Your PS Vita system uses the following types of card media:
Memory card
The memory card is designed specifically for the PS Vita system. Your system stores games downloaded from
PlayStation®Store, as well as saved data and add-on data for games, on the memory card. You can also save
content such as photos and music on the memory card.
You cannot use Memory Stick™ media such as the Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) on your PS Vita
system.
Insert or remove the memory card only when the power is off. Inserting or removing the memory card
while the power is on, including when your system is in standby mode, can cause data corruption or
loss.
After yousign up for Sony Entertainment Network from your PS Vita system, memory cards that you
insert are linked to your account. You can only use the memory cards in PS Vita systems to whichthe
same account is linked.
PlayStation®Vita card
The PS Vita card is designed specifically for storing PlayStation®Vita format software (games and other
applications) for use on your PS Vita system. For some games, the PS Vita card can also store saved data and
add-on data.
A regioncode is assigned to eachPS Vita card according to the country or regioninwhich the PS Vita card is
sold.
You cannot use UMD™ (such as those used for games and videos) on your PS Vita system.
Removing the PS Vita card or turning off the power when the PS Vita card access indicator is blinking
can cause data corruption or loss.
SIM card (only for 3G/Wi-Fi models)
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Types of card media
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On 3G/Wi-Fi models, you need a SIM card to access a mobile network.
Insert or remove the SIM card only when the power is off. Inserting or removing the SIM card while the
power is on, including when your system is in standby mode, can cause data corruption or loss.
Related articles
Playing a game on a PlayStation®Vita card
Photos
Music
Videos
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A )
B )
C )
To charge your PS Vita system, connect it to an electrical outlet as shownbelow using the included USB cable,
AC adaptor and AC power cord.
While your system is charging, the remaining battery charge is shown on the info bar as (Charging). Also,
while the system is charging whenthe system is in standby mode or it is turned off completely, the PS button
lights up orange. When charging is complete, the light in the PS button goes out.
USB cable
AC adaptor
AC power cord
Plug the power cord into the power outlet last, after making all of the other connections.
Use an electrical outlet that is easily accessible, so the AC power cord can be unplugged quickly if the
need arises.
Charge your system in an environment where the ambient temperature is between 10 °C and 30 °C (50
°F and 86 °F). In environments outside of this range, charging can be inefficient and might lead to
decreased battery life.
When the PS button blinks orange during charging, the battery charge is too low to turn on your PS Vita
system. Wait until the PS buttonstops blinking and lights up orange before turning on your system.
You can also charge your system by connecting it to a USB device such as a computer using the USB
cable. When charging your system using a USB device, turn off your system. You cannot charge your
system whenit is instandby mode. To completely power off the system, press and hold the power
button for two seconds, and then tap [Power Off] on the screen that appears.
Approximate charging time
The following table gives the approximate charging time for your PS Vita system when the battery has no
remaining charge.
Charging using the AC adaptor Approximately 2 hours, 40 minutes
Charging your PS Vita system while using it or while the system is in standby mode can increase the
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User's Guide
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Charging
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*1
*2
charging time.
Approximate duration of continuous use
The durations inthe table assume that the screenbrightness is set to the default setting, the Bluetooth® feature
is not being used, and headphones are being used.
Playing games*1 Approximately 3-5 hours
Playing videos Approximately 5 hours
Playing music*2 Approximately 9 hours
Whenthe network features are not being used.
When the system enters standby mode during music playback, and music continues playing.
Battery durationmay vary depending onthe screenbrightness, how network features (mobile network/Wi-
Fi/Bluetooth®) are being used, and the type of content being played.
Battery life
The battery in your PS Vita system has a limited life. Over an extended period of time, a gradual decrease occurs
in the duration of continuous use. If you experience a dramatic decrease in the duration of continuous use, contact
customer support in your country or region.
Battery life varies depending on how you use your PS Vita system and the environment inwhich the
system is used and stored.
Related articles
USB Power Supply
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Turning the power on
Press the power buttonfor two seconds. Whenthe system is turned on, the PS button lights up blue.
When turning onyour PS Vita system for the first time, press and hold the power button for five
seconds.
If your system does not turn on even when you press and hold the power button, the battery charge
might be too low to turn on the system. Use the AC adaptor to charge your system, and thentry turning
on the system again.
Putting your system into standby mode
You can put your system into standby mode by pressing the power button. Whenthe power button is pressed,
the screen (touchscreen) is turned off, the PS button blinks inblue, and the system enters standby mode.
To exit standby mode, press the power button or the PS button.
When your system is in standby mode, Wi-Fi and mobile networking remain enabled. The PS button
blinks slowly in blue when there are new notifications, such as those generated when messages arrive.
With the default setting, when your system is idle for three minutes, it automatically enters standby
mode. However, your system does not enter standby mode automatically in some cases, depending on
the status of the application. For example, when you are viewing a slideshow or video, your system
does not enter standby mode.
Whenyour PS Vita system is ineither of the following states while it is instandby mode, the PS button
either lights up blue or blinks in blue:
Applications or features for which the auto-start setting is enabled have started automatically.
Power is being supplied to the system by a USB device such as a computer.
Turning the power off completely
Press and hold the power button for two seconds and thentap [Power Off] on the screen that appears.
When your PS Vita system is not operating correctly
If youcannot turn off your PS Vita system or the system is not operating correctly, youmight be able to solve the
problem by using safe mode.
Safe mode is a start-up mode for your PS Vita system, inwhich only a few system functions are available for
solving problems. To start your PS Vita system in safe mode, press and hold the power button until the safe
mode menu appears. In safe mode, use your PS Vita system's buttons to operate the menu.
PlayStation®Vita
User's Guide
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Turning your PS Vita system on and off
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Whenthe PS Vita system does not start insafe mode even after you keep pressing the power button for more
than 30 seconds, the battery charge might be too low to turn on the system. In this case, charge your PS Vita
system using the included AC adaptor.
Related articles
Auto Standby
Auto-Start Settings
USB Power Supply
Screen Lock
Top > Basics > Turning your PS Vita system on and off
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In (Welcome Park), have fun learning the basic operations and features of your PS Vita system.
Touch operations
Your PS Vita system is equipped with a screen (touchscreen) and a rear touch pad. To perform various
operations, make these gestures with your fingers:
Tap Touch lightly with your finger and then raise your finger.
Tap to select an icon or an item.
Double tap Tap twice in a row.
Drag Touch and then move your finger while still touching.
Drag to scroll up, down, right and left.
Flick Touch and move your finger rapidly while still touching.
Flick to quickly scroll up, down, right and left.
Touch and hold Touch and keep touching.
Touch and hold for some operations, for example, to enter edit
mode for the home screen.
Pinch in/pinch out Touch with two fingers and then move your fingers closer together
or further apart.
Pinchinward to make things smaller onthe screen. Pinch outward
to make things larger onthe screen. Use pinch in and pinch out in
applications such as (Browser) and (Photos).
You might not be able to operate the touchscreen or rear touch pad correctly, or your operations might be
interfered with and might cause an application or your system to operate in an unintended manner, if you
are:
Wearing gloves or touching with your fingernails.
Holding your PS Vita system withyour fingers or other objects touching the touchscreen.
Sensing orientation and motion
Your PS Vita system has motionsensors to sense the tilt and motion of the system and an electronic compass to
sense the orientation of your system.
Do not swing your system around. This might result inaccidents or injuries.
A message appears if it is necessary to adjust the compass. Adjust the compass by following the
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on-screen instructions.
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B )
C )
Tap the icon for a game or other application on the home screen to open the application's LiveArea™ screen.
You can open LiveArea™ screens for up to six applications at the same time, and go back and forth
between the screens. When you open the LiveArea™ screen for a seventh application, the first
LiveArea™ screen that you opened is closed automatically.
Home screen
The home screen displays icons for games and other applications. The home screen can have a maximum of
10 pages. Move from page to page by flicking the home screen up and down.
LiveArea™ screen
The LiveArea™ screen for an application presents a number of features that relate to the application. To
start anapplication, tap [Start]. The application runs, using the full screen.
You can go back and forth between the home screen and the open LiveArea™ screens by flicking the
screens right and left.
Application screens
Press the PS button to return to the LiveArea™ screen.
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User's Guide
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Basic operations
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In addition to touch operation, you can also control the system using the buttons on the PS Vita system.
When you are on a screen that supports button control and you press a button, a cursor appears.
You can disable button control under (Settings) > [Start] > [System] > [Control with Buttons on PS
Vita System].
Button control examples
Controllable features vary by application and the screen that is displayed.
Directional buttons/Left
stick Select an application or an item
button Confirm the selected item
button Cancel operation
button (Press and
Hold) When the LiveArea™ screen is open, peel the LiveArea™ screen
button Display the option menu or the control panel
L button/R button When the LiveArea™ screen is open, switch between the home screen and the
LiveArea™ screen
The cursor is hiddenafter a few seconds. Press any buttonto display the cursor again.
Tap the screen to switch to touch operation. If you want to use the buttons on the PS Vita system
again, press any button. A cursor will appear on the screen and button control will be enabled.
You will not be able to control some features withbuttons.
PlayStation®Vita
User's Guide
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Controlling with buttons on the system
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Related articles
Control with Buttons on PS Vita System
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B )
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A )
This section explains how to use the home screen, LiveArea™ screens and application screens.
Home screen
Info bar
Check the status of your PS Vita system onthe info bar.
Application icons
The home screen displays icons for applications. A maximum of 100 icons can be displayed.
Page indicator
The page indicator shows the number of pages in the home screen. The dot for the current page is white.
LiveArea™ screen
The LiveArea™ screen for an application presents information and features that relate to the application. The
content and appearance of the screen vary for different applications.
Action icons
Actionicons let youperform commonfunctions across applications. Only the icons for functions supported by
the application are shown:
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B )
C )
A )
B )
Update Updates the application
This icon is only displayed when a newer version of the
application is available for download.
Internet Search Opens the (Browser) application and displays the
keyword search screen
Redeem Codes Displays a screen for entering a code for a purchase from
PlayStation®Store
Help Displays the user's guide for your PS Vita system (the first
icon) or the software manual for the application (the second
icon)
Import Saved Data Imports saved data
This icon is displayed only for games that support this feature.
Refresh LiveArea™ Screen Refreshes the content displayed on the LiveArea™ screen
PlayStation®Plus Accesses online storage
Access the PlayStation®Network server, so you can upload or
download the saved data.
Gate
Tap the gate to start the application.
Live items
Live items display various information related to the application. The information varies by application.
Application screens
Application screens are the screens where you operate the application.
(Options)
Tap the options button to display an options menu, which is a context-sensitive menu of options such as
[Delete] and [Copy].
(Back)
Tap the back buttonto go back to the previous screen.
Checking the status of your PS Vita system (info bar)
Using the screens
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A )
*
Communication status
View information about network connections, signal strengths, and current communications. The icons that
are displayed will differ depending on the model of your PS Vita system.
Mobile signal strength*
Shows the signal strength by displaying "No Signal" or the number of bars (1-5).
The (Limited Connectivity) icon is displayed when your connection is
limited by your mobile network operator. For details, contact your mobile
network operator.
If the temperature of your PS Vita system becomes too high, the
(Temporary Suspension) icon appears. When this icon is visible, your system
cannot use the mobile network connection until the system cools down. When
the system cools down, the icon for the mobile signal strength re-appears.
Roaming*
Data transmission mode*
Wi-Fi signal strength
Shows the signal strength in four levels.
Connected in ad hoc mode
Bluetooth® device in use
Network activity indicator
Currently transmitting and/or receiving data over the Wi-Fi or mobile network.
Flight Mode
Communication status icons other than (Bluetooth®) disappear, and only
the (Flight Mode) and (Bluetooth®) icons are displayed.
Whenyouare not using the Bluetooth® feature, the (Bluetooth®) icon is
not displayed.
Only on 3G/Wi-Fi models
If youtap the [Mobile Network] checkbox under (Settings) > [Start] > [Network] > [Mobile Network
Settings] to remove the checkmark, all the communication status icons will no longer be displayed.
The SIM card status might appear on 3G/Wi-Fi models.
No SIM No SIM card is inserted.
If [No SIM] appears while a SIM card is inserted, turn off your PS Vita system,
remove the SIM card, and insert the SIM card again with the correct
orientation.
Invalid SIM An unusable SIM card is inserted.
For details, contact your mobile network operator.
Using the screens
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B )
C )
D )
E )
F )
Locked SIM A locked SIM card is inserted.
The [Lock SIM Card] setting under (Settings) > [Start] > [Network] >
[Mobile Network Settings] > [SIM Card Settings] is enabled. You must enter
your PINnumber every time your PS Vita system is turned on.
Open LiveArea™ screens
PS Vita card
The icon appears when a PS Vita card is inserted.
Audio output status
Remaining battery charge
The remaining battery charge is shown in five levels. When charging, (Charging) is displayed.
Notification indicator
When the user receives a new notification, a notificationmessage appears on the upper right of the screen.
The notification indicator displays the number of new notifications.
Tap the notification indicator to display the notification list, from which you canview the download status of
content. From the notification list youcantap an item onthe list to go to the relevant application.
Depending onthe type of notification, (Options) appears. Tap it to display anoptions menu,
which is a context-sensitive menu of options.
When a notification is generated while a video is being played or when the system is in standby
mode, the PS button blinks slowly in blue.
Index screen
Press the PS button while on the home screen or a LiveArea™ screen to display the index screen, where you can
view the list of open LiveArea™ screens.
Tap an item on the index screen to display the LiveArea™ screen for the application. On the index screen, you
can display the home screen by pressing the PS button.
Related articles
LiveArea™ screens for games
Flight Mode
Using the screens
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Top > Basics > Using the screens
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1.
2.
1.
Starting an application
On the home screen, tap the icon of the application you want to start.
The LiveArea™ screen for the application appears.
Tap [Start] on the gate.
Pausing and resuming an application
Press the PS button to pause the application and return to an application's LiveArea™ screen. Tap [Continue] on
the application's LiveArea™ screen to resume using an application.
Closing an application
Press the PS button.
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Starting and closing applications
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