The PlayStation Vita is a handheld console device developed by Sony and is the successor to the PlayStation Portable. Released in December 2011 and February 2012 for everyone else, the Vita has received warm reception amongst the community. As an eighth generation device it's completing against Nintendo's 3DS. As time moves forward, the Vita sadly did not perform very well outside Japan and has been ignored by many gaming fans.
The Vita has two models with some different features between the two. The first model, PCH-1000 series, used a 5-inch (130 mm) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, and supported Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G. The second model, the PCH-2000 series, featured better battery life, more internal storage, thinner and lighter, among other inclusions including the switch from OLED to LCD. The first model is declared a legacy platform by Sony (this statement brought mis-confusion as many believe they were referring to the Vita as a whole).
In November 2013, Sony introduced the PlayStation Vita TV (known in English zones as the PlayStation TV) as a device that allows users to play Vita games on the TV using a Dualshock (PlayStation 3 controller) with support for most titles.
--------------
The Good
--------------
The Downside
--------------
Vita Prices
--------------
There are currently two versions of the Vita available for retailers - the 2000 model and the PlayStation TV. Ideally you would want to go for the 2000 model as it can play all of the Vita games currently available. The TV model is still a viable option but it does have certain games unplayable for various reasons (not to mention some games don't work in Europe when they do in North America like Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc).
The 2000 model usually would cost around £149.99 but there seems to have been a price hike to around £189.99. Seems that Amazon is going a bit bonkers with its price at the moment (some third party sellers are charging £199.99). I got my copy in Game for £149.99 with a 16GB memory card and digital games so I had a good deal.
The TV model will cost around £39.99 if you're lucky. Sony has discontinued support for this device so find one if you can. Future games will still support this however.
--------------
What YouTubers think of the Vita
--------------
--------------
Vita News
--------------
YouTuber BlueMaxima does weekly Vita updates and reviews on the latest titles! He even now writes articles for Niche Gamer.
The Vita has two models with some different features between the two. The first model, PCH-1000 series, used a 5-inch (130 mm) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, and supported Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G. The second model, the PCH-2000 series, featured better battery life, more internal storage, thinner and lighter, among other inclusions including the switch from OLED to LCD. The first model is declared a legacy platform by Sony (this statement brought mis-confusion as many believe they were referring to the Vita as a whole).
In November 2013, Sony introduced the PlayStation Vita TV (known in English zones as the PlayStation TV) as a device that allows users to play Vita games on the TV using a Dualshock (PlayStation 3 controller) with support for most titles.
--------------
The Good
--------------
- You can play downloaded PlayStation 1 titles as well as downloaded PlayStation Portable titles on the Vita! You can transfer the games from the PS3 straight to the Vita and play them instantly.
- If you have a PlayStation 4 then you may have noticed a bunch of games referencing Remote Play on the back of the box. This allows you to play the games directly on the Vita (as long as the PS4 is on), this style is similar to the Wii U and its gamepad. Results have turned out positive and many PS4 titles include this feature like Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, Driveclub, Gravity Rush Remastered, and Star Wars Battlefront.
- A lot of Vita games are also available through Cross Buy with PS3 and PS4 games. Notable examples include Fez, Hotline Miami, Oddworld: New n' Tasty and Resogun.
- PlayStation Plus will also provide users with free games each month for the Vita. It can be a mix between indie and popular titles.
- The battery life is pretty solid, lasting many hours so you can continue playing without having to worry about the device running out of power.
- PlayStation Now is also supported, which can let you stream PS3 games on the go.
- The Vita is region free! This means you can import a Japanese retail game and play it on a UK Vita. I'll have a list of notable Vita games down below.
- You can store your save files and game files on your computer and through the cloud in case you need more space on your memory card.
The Downside
--------------
- The memory card. The PSP's memory card were used a lot for piracy and Sony didn't want to make that happen again. The Vita memory card has been designed specifically for the device and as a result the device has no support for any other type of memory card like SDs.
- Because of the memory card design, the prices are expensive. Thankfully you can import bigger Vita memory cards (like the 64GB which is the biggest one available) though it'll put you into despair.
- Because of the memory card design (again), there's no support for multiple accounts. You can change accounts but it requires the device to be reset and reconfigured, so if you have a NA retail copy and wanted to play additional content you need a NA account or else you can't play them.
Vita Prices
--------------
There are currently two versions of the Vita available for retailers - the 2000 model and the PlayStation TV. Ideally you would want to go for the 2000 model as it can play all of the Vita games currently available. The TV model is still a viable option but it does have certain games unplayable for various reasons (not to mention some games don't work in Europe when they do in North America like Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc).
The 2000 model usually would cost around £149.99 but there seems to have been a price hike to around £189.99. Seems that Amazon is going a bit bonkers with its price at the moment (some third party sellers are charging £199.99). I got my copy in Game for £149.99 with a 16GB memory card and digital games so I had a good deal.
The TV model will cost around £39.99 if you're lucky. Sony has discontinued support for this device so find one if you can. Future games will still support this however.
--------------
What YouTubers think of the Vita
--------------
--------------
Vita News
--------------
YouTuber BlueMaxima does weekly Vita updates and reviews on the latest titles! He even now writes articles for Niche Gamer.
Last edited by a moderator: