Why You Should Buy a PlayStation Vita in 2022

Yes, you read that right. It’s still worth buying a PlayStation Vita 10+ years after its initial release.

The Vita was said to be as powerful as an Xbox 360 and was released in 2011, around the time handheld gaming was on the rise. It featured a solid amount of AAA games and a larger amount of indies but was ultimately considered a failure. Throughout its lifetime the PlayStation Vita sold 15-16M units compared to its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable (PSP) which sold nearly 80-82M units.

One could say that the PlayStation Vita was ahead of its time.

Sony stopped supporting the successor to the PSP because of factors such as declining sales, cost of proprietary memory cards, lack of development interest, poor reviews, and pressure from mobile gaming competitors. 10-years later and this little device’s performance has aged like fine wine, with a dedicated community of HomeBrew Developers extending the capabilities of the Sony handheld.

Many PS Vitas still sell for around $300 if unused, while used Vitas may cost around $100 to $200. The prices of these now “retro” devices reflect demand produced in part by Vita’s active modding community.

For those who are not aware, modding a PS Vita gives you access to many functions not originally on the device and are developed by third-party users/devs. This does come with the inherent risk of a network ban or the “bricking” of your device.

One immediate benefit of modding a PS Vita is installing a mod that allows you to use any microSD with your Vita (while using a Vita microSD adapter). There is now no need to buy the expensive, proprietary memory cards sold by Sony for more storage.

Note: You do still need to purchase a small Vita Memory card for the PS Vita 1000-Series to install essential files & start downloading mods because that version does not have any system storage. I recommend the cheapest, yet reliable, memory card you can find. The most affordable ones go for about $30. If you consider the PS Vita 2000-Series, that series comes pre-built with 1GB of system storage.

New Dog – Old Tricks.

One of the most popular mods turns your PS-Vita into a PSP. You now have a fully operational PlayStation Portable and can now play just about any of your favorite PSP games! Of course, there are some hoops you must jump through to install mods and obtain your PSP games legitimately; but you can find many step-by-step guides to help you get started. Having the PSP mod is a recommended, MUST.

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A Retro Gaming Powerhouse

Maybe you were not much of a PlayStation Portable gamer in the 2000s? Well, aside from the PSP mod, the Vita can emulate many other retro consoles such as the PlayStation One, NES, SNES, Nintendo-64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Atari consoles, and even retro PC games!

Of course, the Vita also makes for a great entertainment device for watching movies or TV shows. It may not have the largest screen, in fact, the Vita screen is smaller & has a lower resolution than my Galaxy-S21 Ultra; but maybe you would prefer not to sacrifice your phone battery and would be okay with watching something on a smaller screen. If so, you can watch YouTube through other mods while connected to Wi-Fi or download media directly to your Vita for offline entertainment.

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How Does PlayStation Vita Compare to Other “Moddable” Devices?

The Nintendo Switch is another device that can be modified (depending on the model/firmware) to run many similar mods to the Vita and possibly more. The caveat is that you’ll be at a higher risk of bans with Nintendo as it is still an actively supported device with an active & growing community. A new, standard Switch is also about $150 more than a PS Vita. It’s also larger, making it more difficult to be lowkey when gaming or when shoving the device in your pocket/bag.

What about the new Steam Deck?

The console already has a dedicated modding community, with a dedicated Emulation Hub (EmuDeck). It runs on a Linux OS, carries high speed modular SSDs, uses a custom-designed “APU” (combination CPU-GPU) architecture built by AMD, and has a 7-inch LCD touchscreen display (compared to the Vita’s 5-inch screen).

Still, all that power has to be housed somewhere, making the Steam Deck one of the chunkier handheld devices to date; coming in at almost 1.5 lbs (669g)! For comparison, the Switch weighs nearly 1-pound (420g) and the Vita weighs a little over half a pound (280g). The Steam deck also starts at a hefty $400.

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An “Old Diamond” in the Rough.

After pitting the PS Vita up against two of the heavy hitters of today, its clear that the Vita does get left behind. However, there is still a small gray area where it operates, shines & thrives.

It is small, lightweight, can run emulators of many retro consoles, has easily expandable storage, and it doesn’t break the bank! It’s a great little console to have around and pass the time.

Once you do fall in love with the PS Vita, there are many communities out there who arrange “dead game” days where players organize to enjoy a multiplayer session of “dead” Vita titles. These communities are filled with great people who love video games.

The PS Vita community is one that you would be proud to be a part of.