Nativ adds Apple AirPlay & Google Cast to $1,599 Vita music hub

Made via a 14.0 software update, the addition is a part of the Vita's newfound support for multi-room streaming to many different platforms, including not just AirPlay and Cast devices but Sonos, Qualcomm AllPlay, and UPnP/DLNA.

In a given example, the Vita can push the a song to an Apple TV, a Roku device, and a Sonos speaker, with per-room adjustable volume. Nativ told AppleInsider that the company currently only supports first-generation AirPlay, but expects AirPlay 2 "in a few weeks."

Other software upgrades include support for 2.5-inch hard drives up to 5 terabytes, allowing the Vita to max out at 10 terabytes of storage. That's enough to hold about 200,000 songs at full fidelity, Nativ claims.

The company has also improved UPnP and SMB caching performance by as much as 200 percent, and added more track and artwork databases for users ripping CDs.

The Vita starts at $1,599, and includes built-in access to services like Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify, as well as local files, controlled from an 11.6-inch IPS touchscreen. Connection options include wired technologies like HDMI, AES/EBU, USB, and SPDIF, along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth for wireless.