Sony's upcoming PlayStation Vita will not support Adobe's Flash platform in its web browser...at least, not at launch.
According to an article published in this week's issue of Weekly Famitsu in Japan, the Vita's web browser will support cookies, JavaScript 1.7, and part of the HTML5 standard when it launches in Japan next month.
While Flash will not be a part of the launch, the magazine's editors imply that there's a chance support will come in future firmware updates, according to a translation.
Sony's previous portable, the PSP, also launched without Flash support. A firmware update nearly a year-and-a-half post-launch added basic support: however, implementation was based on version 6 of the platform, initially released in 2002, making the PSP version five generations behind the desktop client. As a result, some Flash content can not be utilized on the system.
Support for Adobe's now 15-year-old platform has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Most famously, Apple's iOS-compatible devices do not run Flash content in their native browsers, with late former CEO Steve Jobs blaming its occlusion on "technology issues."
Additionally, Microsoft announced that a future version of its Internet Explorer browser will drop support for all plug-ins, including Flash.
Flash continues to be the dominant platform for games on Facebook. However, the company recently launched its first round of HTML5-based games.
As the Famitsu article suggests, there's nothing -- technology-wise -- preventing the addition of Flash-compatibility in a Vita firmware update. From a web perspective, obviously it might be nice to round out the experience. For gaming, perhaps Adobe will eventually present a compelling case for mobile applications of Flash 11's hardware-accelerated 3D, beyond its PC use. The Vita presumably has the muscle for it.
This isn't news, it's expected. Sony doesn't like its users going to far outside of its control. The only difference between them and Apple as an example, is a longer leash.
And I bet they left out support for Apple's Canvas tag, the only cool thing about the wannabe standard that is HTML5. :)
Anyways, buzz me when HTML 5 doesn't suck, which it excels at on mobile devices.
Easy, access to free games destroys their business model. "Flash sucks on mobiles" jailbroken iphone users laugh in the shadowy corners of the internet.
Javascript 1.8.5 appears to the the latest version and it was released July 2010 and may already be in 2011 Network ready TVs, Blu-ray and the PS3.
The Chris Melby's ( I take as sarcastic comment) "WhoOOooo. JavaScript 1.7! Wow, progress!" was pointing out if Javascript 1.7 it's several steps backward to the 2006 version.
WebkitGTK+ 1.71 (unstable) was just released with the STABLE version soon. So if your article in error stated Javascript 1.7 instead of webkit 1.7 then a webkit release for Sony platforms could be imminent.
This isn't news, it's expected. Sony doesn't like its users going to far outside of its control. The only difference between them and Apple as an example, is a longer leash.
And I bet they left out support for Apple's Canvas tag, the only cool thing about the wannabe standard that is HTML5. :)
Anyways, buzz me when HTML 5 doesn't suck, which it excels at on mobile devices.
The Chris Melby's ( I take as sarcastic comment) "WhoOOooo. JavaScript 1.7! Wow, progress!" was pointing out if Javascript 1.7 it's several steps backward to the 2006 version.
WebkitGTK+ 1.71 (unstable) was just released with the STABLE version soon. So if your article in error stated Javascript 1.7 instead of webkit 1.7 then a webkit release for Sony platforms could be imminent.
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.os.opendarwin.webkit.gtk/802
So if your article comment