Sony has revealed they they’re going to end support for Maps, YouTube, and many functionalities of Near in the coming PS Vita updates.
Beginning in March, all the features found in Maps and those in Near that allows for locations or displaying maps will be disabled and removed completely via an update. YouTube support will end April 20 and has been removed from the PlayStation store as of January 28.
Sony has yet to give any reasons for the sudden removal of these apps, but there was some good news that came out of the Vita app fallout, Spotify will be coming to phones and PlayStation consoles in Spring 2015 to 41 territories, including North and South America, Europe, Asia and more.
“Music is a core component of the entertainment offering that consumers expect from Sony,” said Sony’s Andrew House, “and our goal with PlayStation Music is to provide the most compelling music experiences to the millions of PlayStation Network users around the world.”
“This partnership represents the best in music and the best in gaming coming together, which will benefit the vibrant and passionate communities of both Spotify and PlayStation Network. We’re thrilled to make Spotify the foundation of our strategy with PlayStation Music.”
It is currently unclear whether you’ll need a PlayStation plus subscription to use the Spotify app, but Sony did say players will be able to run the app and play their music while playing their games.
Let us know in the comments below if the tradeoff was worth it: Maps, YouTube and Near for Spotify.