PlayStation Vita 10 Years Later

The PS Vita is a beloved handheld with a diehard cult following. But how does the failed Sony handheld hold up 10 years later to someone using it for the first time?

For many, Vita means life. It means to be a part of a cult following that believed in the handheld more than its makers did. Sony launched the PS Vita with the intention of bringing the AAA game experience to the handheld market, with big flagship IPs like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Killzone: Mercenary. But in actuality, the console would see its success from indie games and visual novels like Persona 4 Golden, Hotline Miami, and Virtue's Last Reward.

Kurt Indovina missed the boat to Vita Island when it was first released in the states back in 2012, but now 10 years later, he's picking up the console up for the first time to see what the fuss is about. Join Kurt in a rather unexpected journey to understanding what it means to be a Vita Islander.

#PlayStationVITA #PSVITA

[edujaimes]

The PS Vita helped me get through some rough times in my teenage years. When I moved towns in my sophomore year of highschool, I found it really difficult to make new friends. I went from being an honors student, to failing all my classes because of how depressed I was. Greg Miller and Collin Moriarty convinced me to buy a Vita and P4G and it changed my life. I couldn't build relationships in real life, so I spent hundreds of hours in P4G building virtual relationships instead. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest, but it was what I did to cope with stress I was going through.

[timhewison]

Playing PSP games on the Vita, is also an absolute joy! Especially with the OLED screen and being able to configure the second analog stick.

[BaNeArroW]

The Vita Island will always welcome new fans. It is a safe haven for enthusiasts and adopters of this awesome handheld! Hope every gamer can pass through the Island at least once, to experience what a breadth of gaming experiences this handheld can offer! Viva La Vita!

[cbprazhel]

Good content Gamespot. 👍

My Dad has the Vita since its release because he's into portable and on-the-go stuff because of work. He even lend it to me on my field trips and snuck it in my backpack before my camp back in the day just in case I got bored. Now I'm all grown up, he gave me both PSP and Vita loaded to the brim with its exclusive games on each and still play it on commute - never left home without either one... I dont hate N.Switch or Mobile Games or other handheld consoles, its just there is something on the Vita (or PSP) that clicked to me, or maybe I just treasure it just as my Dad does. So yeah, glad to be an islander. Thanks Dad - no regrets. ❤

[anonymous_coward]

Thinking back Sony really shot itself in the foot with the memory cards on Vita. With mine I was actively avoiding purchasing games digitally because of limited storage and there were games I didn't buy due to anxiety about filling it. Where as with the 3DS if it was only slightly inconvenient to get a physical copy I would purchase it digitally without a second thought. If enough other PSVita owners responded to limited storage like I did that would have really depressed software attach rates on a device with an already limited install base.

[Greez]

This was my go to handheld. P4G, Soul Sacrifice, Tearaway, Rayman Legends, Dragons Crowd, Odinsphere, Freedom Wars, Guacamelee, Shovel Knight, Risk Of Rain, Spelunky, Super Stardust Delta, Lumines, Gravity Rush, Muramasa, and all the PS1 and PSP Classics absolutely slap on this thing.

[devonhar]

I remember starting uncharted golden abyss and hating all the gimmicks until I realized that all the gimmicks can be turned off.
Then it became one of my favorites on the system. awesome game.

[pixelj]

I enjoyed it most as a retro gaming device. I played ps1 classics like chrono cross and bought the ffx/ffx2 remaster of the ps2 version. Many many hours of fun. It was great for indie titles too. Sony removed some of its potential when they released it without dedicated L2 and R2 buttons. It was so close to a perfect "playstation portable 2". Too bad.. I definitely regret selling it.

[lankyGigantic]

I recently got a Vita for the first time a few weeks back and it really was before its time

[DecAllTimeAlways]

Even watching YouTube using the Vita browser still works like a charm. It became my PlayStation legacy device playing PS1/PS2/PSP games while having solid games of its own. The size and weight for it are perfect unlike the Switch and Deck.

[DoctorApotheosis]

I hated shooters on the Vita. But everything else was wonderful. I will die on the hill that the Vita was better than the 3DS. I had both. And after the first party Nintendo games, I was done with the 3DS.

The Vita on the other hand opened me up to whole new series.

[JoshieJoestar]

So many good memories playing the Vita. My most played game was definitely gravity rush. Fun gameplay, open world, interesting story, and the motion controls surprisingly helped and didn't feel like a gimmick.

[DJvonDeepuh]

Great video. Thanks for spending some time with the Vita. I always love seeing my favorite console getting some love in 2022.

[Rustyhobo]

very well made video, love my ps vita had it since launch great little handheld.

[StormtrooperV]

Man this video came out at a weirdly perfect time for me, I sold mine when I was short on cash as a kid to buy another console and I missed it so much I just bought another one as an adult and modded it, so excited to jump back into my old favorites!!

[manhhahlu]

Such a shame that Sony decided to abandon their portable gaming department. The Vita has heaps of potentials, solid ergonomic designs and best yet: it is compact and powerful enough to play decent graphic games. But the lack of third party supports and the SD card greed really kills it. I tried my best to support the Vita as much as I could, collecting physical copies and avoiding rom hack but yeah, wasted potential by Sony indeed. They played it way too safe while literally still maintaining their dying mobile phone department. Why Sony not shutting down their phone lineup and focus on handheld gaming device is beyond me.

[ianjohn]

Dude whose this guy. I don’t really watch gamespot so I don’t know all the personalities but this dude’s videos are always so friggin high quality and well made and engaging. Does he have his own channel too?

[RC-Heli-Overdose]

A hacked vita with retro arch, adrenaline, auto plugin 2 and an sd2vita is what makes the vita great again in 2022. Can play and store anything from vita all the way back to nintendo. one of the best retro gaming devices you can get your hands on.

[TheBawalumihidito]

I actually found mine recently and started playing some games. It felt surprisingly modern considering it was a decade old.

If Sony ever releases their version of Xbox Gamepass, a handheld device like a Vita 2 that’s dedicated to play the backlog of PS1/2/3 games would be awesome. A great reason to get consumers to sign up for their subscription service too.

[lankyGigantic]

The "best" gimmicky game the Vita has is probably Tearaway, its a beautiful little game