My PS Vita Journey (just some nostalgic thoughts, nothing crazy lol)
I have always loved, and still love, handheld game consoles and portable devices in general (laptops, tablets, etc.), so when the PS Vita was announced back in the day, I was definitely interested. I saw what was promised, the first games announced, and I knew I wanted to buy one on release day.
I live in France, so I went to Micromania (our local equivalent to GameStop) one week before the release and pre-ordered the Vita with a 16GB memory card + 1 game: Uncharted: Golden Abyss! It was a lot of money, but I don't remember thinking it was crazy expensive for the value: 250€ for the console, 50€ for the 16GB memory card, and 40€ for the game. I love golf games (I was a big Pangya player), so I bought Everybody's Golf too, and I got a good deal on Wipeout 2048, so I picked that up as well.
So, on February 22, I was the proud owner of a brand new PS Vita with 3 great games, and I was blown away. It really felt almost like having a PS3 in your pocket (I didn't actually have a PS3 yet tho). The launch lineup was solid, but the follow-up wasn't that great in either quality or quantity. However, the lack of games pushed me to Platinum the ones I had and really play all of them thoroughly. That first year, I remember thoroughly enjoying Rayman Legends, Gravity Rush, LittleBigPlanet, and some smaller titles like Unit 13, Escape Plan, and MotorStorm RC.
I could see it wasn't a commercial success for various reasons, but I still believed in it.
2013 was a weak year, though; there were some games I enjoyed, but not that many, and the future wasn't clear. It already felt like Sony wasn't going to support it for long. I played Dead or Alive 5, Tearaway, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Dragon's Crown, and FIFA, but I don't remember much else. I do know PS+ was new and cheap that year, and I discovered a lot of good indie games through the subscription, like Hotline Miami, Thomas Was Alone, Stealth Inc., and more. I still had hope, and the Vita Slim + Killzone ended the year on a high note.
Then, 2014 was really the beginning of the end. The Vita took another direction, more indie and PS2-collection oriented but a lot of people (including myself back then) wanted new, big AAA games, and they simply weren't planned anymore. With hindsight, it's funny that people want to play PS2 and indie games on their Vita now in 2026, because that pivot was despised back then. I don't remember much from 2014, and I finally sold my Vita in the summer of 2015.
Years passed, and I didn't think much of it.
After COVID, my love for retro consoles and handhelds reignited. I bought and modded a DSi and had a great time with it, same with my PSP. At the end of 2023, I wanted a deeper experience but didn't know what to get. I thought about it and said to myself, "I need a PS Vita again." I really just wanted to play Everybody's Golf again. So I bought one and discovered that it was incredibly easy to mod. And I fell in love with it all over again. The projects, rediscovering all the Vita games, plus the amazing ports, homebrews, and retro stuff... I haven't put my Vita down since, and I don't plan on selling it anytime soon. I also discovered VN games in the meantime so the Vita is perfect for it now too (for Steins;Gate, Danganronpa and others).
It's not really undervalued anymore (it's actually getting pretty pricey now), but I feel like the Vita never got the love it deserved. I wish it had a better life when it was actively supported and still sold new. I will enjoy it while mine lasts! :)
How about you all ?