In preparation for Japan’s December 17th launch of the PlayStation Vita, Sony has issued the most recent in a long list of updates to its Playstation 3 platform. Version 4.00 will allow the PS3 to share music, video, and image files with the Vita, store Vita game save and other data, and update the Vita’s system software using the PS3’s network features.

The update also adds some standalone PS3 goodies, such as Blu-ray video upscaling and new privacy controls for PSN, allowing you to refuse messages and friend requests across the board or limit them to friends of friends. The system software update is available for download now.

Update: We installed the update on our PS3 and can confirm that Remote Play is there for the Vita, although it's still unclear if it will be available for all titles at launch. The video upscaling feature appears to apply to BDMV-formatted discs such as BD-ROMs that contain standard-definition video. Lastly, readers in the UK will be relieved to hear that they will finally be able to use their PS3s now that Sony has added British English to the list of system languages.