Submitted 1 day ago by popcar2@programming.dev to games@lemmy.world
https://popcar.bearblog.dev/i-bought-a-playstation-vita-in-2025/
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/23884313
I got this thing recently and wanted to share my thoughts on it :)
I love the vita, feels so good in your hands and is a great size for actually being portable.
I dont use mine as much as I used to but for a while when travelling it was my only system and I had a lot of fun with it.
I agree, it’s about the perfect size for me. Just small enough to fit in my jacket pocket.
I honestly wish PC handhelds had a similar size, but they’re all tablet-size. Someone had an image comparing the Vita with the Steam Deck and it puts into perspective how large handhelds have gotten.
Yeh IMO they are too large. I have a steam deck and I barely ever use it outside the house because it just isnt really that portable in terms of being able to fit it in a bag with all the other stuff you may need when going away, it takes up more than half of my bag space.
So I reverted back to my vita and the experience of actually using it as a portable is miles ahead. Like you say I can slip it in my pocket when transferring between trains or the like and it doesn’t fill half my bag when not in use.
I’m a big guy so dont have the smallest hands either but honestly find the steam deck a bit uncomfortable where as the vita just feels good to me.
Loved my PSP when it still worked. Size-wise, I personally think the Gameboy SP was the perfect sized handheld. That thing could fit in any pocket easily and it had a backlight.
For PC handheld you could always use the Steam Link app on your phone with a controller grip. Just need to have a PC with Steam installed to run the games.
I got a PS Vita a while back and it’s a fun device, especially set up for homebrew, but it’s super uncomfortable to use for more than a few minutes at a time
Little inputs all over it and nothing to hold on to, I had to get a controller shaped thing to clip it into just to stop my hands cramping up, the bigger devices like the steam deck are a lot more comfortable in comparison
I do like it with those controller attachments, it does improve it further still be sacrifices a bit of portability in terms of no longer being pocket friendly.
I do agree it can be uncomfortsble after a time but for me that is more after hours opposed to minutes but everyone’s bodies are different and I can see why is may cramp some peoples hands quicker.
I find with the steam deck it is just a bit too large for me, it makes it feel a bit unwieldy and unstable in my hands for some reason. For me I think the sweet spot in terms of comfort would probably be something in the middle.
It probably has a lot to do with the kinds of games I play on it as well though. On the vita I played a lot of jrpgs, it really was a beast for that genre, and with those games it can be a lot more menus with turn based combat etc. That means I’d often play with it flat on my lap and not gripping it like a controller which is definitely a less cramped position.
And that standby battery life? Sorcery.
The PSP and the Vita had a better idle drain than the DS and 3DS respectively.
My brother just bought his first 3DS. It’s blowing his mind! 😂
How old/tech savvy is your brother? It’s not at all hard to hack them and it opens up a TON of versatility. I have one that has the OG Half-Life installed on it.
He’s just savvy enough to be dangerous! So he bought it pre-hacked and loaded with software.
Hacked mine recently and have been playing some PSP games in multiplayer with a real PSP over ad-hoc wireless that just works. It’s beautiful.
I like my Vita, but not for PSP games, they look pretty bad to my eyes, especially if you have used a PSP 3000 or Go (my other Sony handhelds) or PPSSPP.
I’ve been wanting to play Dissidia over ad-hoc between my Vita and Vita TV. Did you ever play online using the PS3’s ad-hoc party?
I do not yet have a PS3 and did not have one in the past, so the answer from me is no, and I unfortunately know nothing about that.
Ah the PS Vita, reminds me of a quote from House of Cards:
“Is that a PS Vita?” -Frank Underwood
As a steam deck owner, the vita is the only other portable I still use regularly.
Amen brother/sister
I still have mine from launch. Played it yesterday. Get on board. This thing is amazing.
I picked mine up last year, and a PSP GO also. They’re great litte machines and I prefer them to my Steam Deck for certain things, the size and quality of hardware is in the sweet spot.
Thats cool, i have been using my psp go a fair bit recently
I owned a PSP Go a few years ago, it’s a great device. I loved how tiny it is, but the screen was a little too small for me, and it didn’t handle emulation that well. Loved playing Lumines and Patapon on it, though!
yup it really is small but its also why i love the form factor, one of the truly portable handhelds i own along with the playdate. Hope i can snatch a Vita for a fair price one of these days too.
I wish they made games for it. It did a pretty good job of streaming and I put retro arch on it. Made it a great travel device.
Yea. I feel it’s a little underpowered. But I’ve got retroarch on it. It’s nice to be able to easily get psp and psvita games on it. Even if half are psx ports.
It’s become my main gaming machine at the moment. But I’m not much of gamer.
Don’t say that. If you like games, you’re one of us.
I still have my original first Gen PSP from 2006, modded that thing straight out of the box.
Wish I could find mine FFS.
I got a Vita TV recently and hacked it to put a larger memory card into it. I’ve been using it as a small PS1.
I didn’t really want to hack it with emulators because it’s extra work and their actual PS1 catalog is quite expensive. But a few games that I own physically were never made available. Or in a couple cases, the digital games were blocked from Vitas for some reason.
I’ve been thinking about picking one up lately, no idea why. I’m gonna take this post as a sign!
Localhorst86@feddit.org 3 hours ago
The vita, once modded and not being reliant on Sonys expensive proprietary memory cards, is a really great little handheld. Lots of homebrew capabilities, great ergonomics.
I also bought a PSTV when they were on clearance for less than 20 bucks, makes for a nice little gaming console for the bedroom or guest bathroom.