Lets breath some Life into the PS Vita
In the world of Handheld gaming, the PlayStation Portable (PSP) brought a new dimension for gamers. Putting “larger than life” gaming seen only on TV screens by PlayStation fans right in their pockets. With the passage of time, SONY did not rest on they laurels. They took to PSP into their 🔼⭕❌⏹️ forge and from the fire came the PlayStation VITA = PSVITA.
The PlayStation VITA
Released 2011 in Japan and 2012 in North America, the PlayStation VITA, commonly called “VITA” or “PSVITA”, became the next best thing for any PlayStation fan who happened to be a handheld-gaming enthusiast. Sporting upgrades such as a second analogue stick, giving it a full
handheld feel, touch panels for the back of the device as well as its screen, new interface, fun new user interface, vastly improved graphics that just wowed users and non-users of the device alike and many other neat little step ups. It was the handheld Adonis of its time. To put this into a better perspective, take a look at the difference between the VITA and its competitor at the time, the Nintendo 3DS:
Fair to say the PSAVITA kinda blows the 3DS out the water hardware-wise.
| FEATURE | NINTENDO 3DS | PSVITA |
| Release Date Price | February 2011 | December 2012 |
| Dimensions | $249.99 | $249.99(Wi-Fi) $299.99(3G+Wi-Fi) |
| Weight | 235 grams | 260 grams |
| CPU | ARM11-based Dual-Core (266 MHz) | Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A9 (up to 2 GHz) |
| GPU | DMP PICA200 (133 MHz) | Quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4+ (200 MHz) |
| RAM | 128 MB FCRAM | 512 MB |
| VRAM | 6 MB | 128 MB |
| Display | Top Screen (3D): 3.53-inch LCD (800×240) Bottom Screen: 3.02-inch resistive touch screen (320×240) | 5-inch OLED touch screen, 960×544 resolution (qHD) |
| Touch Panel(s) | Yes, bottom screen only | Yes, main/front screen and rear touch panel |
| Storage | 2 GB internal memory (expandable via SD card) | 1GB memory, expandable with proprietary PS Vita memory cards (4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 GB) |
| Memory | RAM: 128 MB | RAM: 512 MB VRAM: 128 MB |
| Camera(s) | 2 Cameras Front Cam: x1 (0.3 MP VGA) 640×480 res Rear Cam: x2 (0.3 MP, VGA) 640×480 res | 2 Cameras Front Cam: x1 (0.3 MP VGA) 640×480 res Rear Cam: x1 (0.3 MP VGA) 640×480 res |
| User Input | Bottom Screen touch panel Circle Pad D-Pad A,B,X,Y buttons L & R shoulder buttons Start button Select button Home button Microphone | Rear Touchpad Main Touch Screen Dual Analogue Sticks D-Pad ❌⏹️⭕🔼 L & R shoulder buttons Start button Select button PS/Home button Microphone |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Pedometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, StreetPass, SpotPass, Infrared | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, USB 2.0 charging/data port, optional 3G (AT&T, US; NTT DoCoMo, Japan), PSN Integration |
| Sound / Audio | Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack | Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Battery | 3-5 hours (3D mode) 5-8 hours (no 3D mode) Lithium-ion rechargeable battery | 4-6 hours (gaming only) 7 hours (video playback) Lithium-ion rechargeable battery |
| Extra Features | Glasses-free 3D StreetPass/SpotPass | Custom OS Rear TouchPad Media Playback (video [H.264, MP4], image [JPEG, PNG], music [MP3, AAC]) Remote Play with PS4 Trophy system |
If the above doesn’t straighten this out for you, I don’t know what else will! Spec-wise, the VITA simply blew the Nintendo 3DS out the water!
The Death of the PSVITA
So, what killed this powerful handheld system? For one, First Party support. The VITA was doing great up until SONY shifted focus from there to the PS4 after the console launched.
Slowly, game flow towards the handheld dried up and its competition, the Nintendo 3DS, with its continued first and third party support, flourished and left the VITA in the dust. The advent of mobile gaming was another slash to the VITA’s HP.
With mobile gaming libraries growing larger, more diverse and the mobile devices becoming more powerful, there was less incentive to go for a dedicated handheld device. Additionally, SONY shot itself in the foot twice by: 1) having the PSVITA use proprietary memory cards for storage expansion instead of the widely common microSD card. These proprietary cards were super expensive.
| 4GB | 8GB | 16GB | 32GB | 64GB |
| $19.99 | $29.99 | $59.99 | $99.99 | $100 – $150 |
2) With the system being marketed as a media device and a handheld gaming console, marketing the device sent some mixed signals.
The same space your games have will possibly be shared with multimedia on an expensive proprietary card, media that can equally be played via phone or tablet and through miroSD card? Not helpful.
Why am I spewing all this now? Well, the VITA is BACK ON THE SCENE! And in rather wild ways!
VITA back to Life – From the Ashes
The console has seen a rise in prominence and use after 2020. Loads of users flooding the scene are either old users dusted their VITAS off that they haven’t touched in ages while others rushed to purchase the console, whether used or brand spanking new! With the existence of dedicated fans of the system, the handheld’s popularity and functionality has soared to new heights.
With all forms of modding enabling so many functions, expanded gaming library which includes multiple platforms thanks to the system’s power, plugins that further push the PSVITA’s capabilities…the system is on quite the roll.
One of the most widespread reasons most are jumping onto the platform is nostalgia: being able to play retro games from other systems, including some mobile titles and games most never got the chance to play out during the era of their preferred systems (I would certainly love to try out Rayman! Yes…I never played Rayman before 🥲). Not too many would ever say No to a trip down ‘gaming memory lane’, so I guess replaying Golden Sun 1 and 2 would be right up my alley!
Life after PSVITA
Enter the PlayStation Portal! A device released by SONY in November 2023 to add to their handheld gamescape. We can only hope that SONY has learnt from their mistakes in their handling of the VITA, especially in the marketing department. With the controversy that surrounded the PlayStation Portal being a “Remote Player” device or a “handheld gaming accessory”, one could be forgiven for thinking that SONY did not really learn their lesson. Luckily that release, which was basically expected to be a new variation of pure PlayStation Portable (PSP) goodness did not catch as much heat as many expected.
But watching the trove or reviews, recommendations and tutorials online, PS VITA does not feel dated at all! It gives me hope for the lifecycle of whichever sound new version would be released in the near future and there are already rumors swimming about the internet of a possible PS6 Handheld coming. I intend to grab a VITA myself, new or used and try out whatever is possible with the console! Perhaps even play Golden Sun on it! I never owned a portable PlayStation device so this won’t be a nostalgia trip, but a brand-new experience I am looking forward to diving into! Tell us if you owned a Vita and what were the games you enjoyed on it
