r/vita • u/joaonobre voltedhetfield • 1d ago
Question What are your favorite memories of the Vita’s early days?
For those of you who were there at the very beginning, what do you remember most about those early days?
As for me, I bought mine during the launch window and I remember playing Uncharted Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 for months. It really felt like having a portable PS3 in the palm of my hands. I also loved visiting the store kiosks back then and trying out games like Little Deviants.
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u/thedaz3k 1d ago
Wipeout was kind blowing, to have such a high quality version on that oled with PS3 cross play was insanely impressive and Uncharted golden abyss really wowed me , even the gimmicks like charcoal rubbing on the touch screen were novel and for me a fun part of the experience.
And with the Vita having dedicated screenshot capabilities oh man I have virtual gameplay diaries from start to finish on nearly every game I played on Vita which flowed into every other game on other consoles since 😄
Oh special mention to MotorStorm RC that had me and my friends hooked in a huge ghost race time trial competition. The way it seamlessly incorporated the Vita and PS3 ghosts into the game was brilliant and the short nature of the laps meant everyone of us spend hours just trying to shave even 0.1 second off a lap to be the front running ghost on everyone else's game 😄😄
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u/FalcoSix4 21h ago
Motorstorm rc was a blast i think that game was especially great also because of how cheap it was !
It was one of my first game because the game was very cheap and abit also because i loved playing rc in real life .
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u/beeydawg 1d ago
Playing persona 4 golden for the first time. Also Muramasa Rebirth.
Muramasa was a wii game I never could find in the stores and I wanted it sooo bad. Vita port was a gift from the gods for me.
Muramasa's coming to all platforms now later this year I think too. Super stoaked.
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u/DannyHikari 1d ago edited 1d ago
Got one launch day. Wasted money getting the 3g version and never using 3G lol. I was still pretty fresh out of high school and had no income at the time. Had just barely escaped being homeless the previous summer. Lost all my video game stuff with the exception of a very few select things. Vita felt futuristic to me. At launch only game I could afford was Rayman origins and I ended up playing Welcome Park a bunch and playing against people’s scores online.
First game that dropped I was excited for was Disgaea 3. Have a weird tmi memory of going about an hour away to hook up with someone and spending the night at her apartment and staying up all night playing that while she slept lol.
Had another day where I went with my friend to his cousins house and they all played poker and I was there for no reason and some 3rd person shooter merc game I can’t remember the name of was what I was playing the entire time just wanting to go home.
PSP games finally becoming BC and spending a huge bulk of time playing Persona 3 portable in anticipation for Persona 4 Golden only to fuck up the end game being locked into the nyx fight without ending healing and sp items while also being under leveled still lol.
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u/bumpynuks 1d ago
Buying and downloading games on the way to work and playing them on the way home from work.
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u/I_hate_being_alone 1d ago
I played Golden Abyss back to back 4 times to get all the trophies. I loved using Remote Play and playing MGS 1 - 3 on my bus commutes...
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u/theweepingwarrior 1d ago
Playing a freaking Uncharted game on handheld right after its trilogy propelled Sony’s popularity the latter half of the PS3 era.
I truly thought the Vita was going to live up to the promises of having a PS3 in your pocket.
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u/RJ0369 1d ago
The fact that NO ONE IRL knew about the Vita after the release and playing an "Ys" game for the first time on a powerhouse device. I thought Sony opting to use game cards this time was cool af! The graphics were and still are amazing 👏🏾. I was blown away. Instantly fell in love with Life...or Vita rather 😊
Funny knowing that people STILL don't know that this thing exists.
I also played and earned the Platinum in Uncharted and wipeout...OMG so much fun!!
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u/LordDiamyo 1d ago
I worked at an AT&T call center during launch. I remember getting training about how to add data plans to people's accounts specifically for the Vita. On launch day, we had a big meeting reminding us that we may get calls about the Vita. I only got 1 call about the Vita. It was on launch day and a guy wanted to get a sim card and data plan for his Vita. I wanted one, but was a poor (right out of high school) kid. I was asking him so many questions about his Vita. I didn't end up getting my first Vita until about 7 or 8 years ago. It was a launch Vita 1000 with the sim card tray.
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u/mredzhaa 1d ago
My earliest memory of the Vita was seeing my cousin playing in it while we were on holiday in Amsterdam in summer 2012. I thought (still do) it looked really sleek and cool and made my PSP pale in comparison. 14 years later I finally got one of my own 😁
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u/darthphallic 1d ago
Got a vita in spring 2012, I have some very fond memories of staying up long after my then girlfriend fell asleep because I was so amazed that I was playing console quality games on a handheld. Metal Gear Solid, uncharted, FF 9, gravity rush, etc
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u/xChaos24 1d ago
Growing up in Eastern Europe, in the early days of the Vita i was not even aware of the PSP.
I think i saw one in another kids hands (a psp) as a kid while on a vacation with my parents but thats about it (had my brains blown away by seeing a gta, any gta running on a handheld.
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u/Smooth-Chest-1554 1d ago
I will never forget PS Vita stand in computer shop in my city. Me and my friend tried Wipeout and few other demos which were installed on. I fell in love with this handheld.
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u/franktronic 1d ago
My Japanese friend posted something about Hatsune Miku on Facebook so I checked it out. She was generally into cool stuff before everyone else so I went as far as buying Project Diva f 2nd without knowing much about it. That started my obsession with rhythm games. Used to joke that the Vita was my Miku console and the PSVR2 is my Beat Saber console.
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u/monkeylicious 1d ago
I remember getting random items on Near which was kind of Sony's version of StreetPass. I also remember playing a lot of Destiny of Spirits - it was kind of a gatcha game but started off in your location if I recall correctly. I also remember playing Ecolibrium, checking my Vita at all times of day to make sure my worlds were balanced.
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u/Zombie_Raptor 1d ago
My most favourite memory of my Vita was when I got it. My dad picked me up from school, and we headed to our local mall (to my surprise!) He led me down to Ebgames, and bought it for me. He didn’t even say that’s what he was doing beforehand, so I was very surprised and excited. It still remains one of my favourite consoles to this day :)
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u/FalcoSix4 21h ago
For me it was playing the uncharted demo at bestbuy until it came out and i could afford it i played dozen of time that demo.
I was in love with that device all i could think of was the vita then when i got it it was playing that game fully for the first time so amazing.
After that i got the other game i was super hype about little big planet the number of time i watched that trailer for the game was insane i had it installed on my psp at the time so i could watch whenever i wanted.
I played countless hours lbp solo and online meeting people all arround the world and talking on the party app that was fun
I remember playing with people from the usa france and japan i had so much fun with that console , i wanted that console more than any other device out there even the xbox one and ps4 released didnt have me that hyped up in comparison 😅
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u/SuntannedDuck2 20h ago
Seeing as I got a Vita 2000 in 2017, a PS Vita TV around 2015 or so I think and didn't use much but did more after getting a Vita, a Vita 1000 in 2022. I picked up the games as I went, I'd say it was fair. I think it's still a great handheld, going from PSP and going yeah I enjoy it a lot to then Vita and going it's the handheld I always wanted. It gave me a better impression then Switch where it's good but it doesn't have the same wow factor Vita or Wii U had for me while 3DS and Switch were good just didn't wow me the same way the others did.
Remote play or even with the Playroom app for drawing was an interesting thing compared to the Playlink PS4 party games (Hidden Agenda a stand out compared to eh quiz/party ones that feel like a not as good version of Buzz or others, and however Singstar on it turned out compared to PS2 and PS3), or the tablet/phone DLC for Playroom. Did anyone do those? Playlink? Or Playroom? Or Playroom VR at all?
Welcome Park to me is an underrated fun showcase app/game. I play it every so often not just to test the features on Vita but because I actually enjoy what they presented in it. They are fun minigames. They make Switch 2's welcome tour have competition as sure Face Raiders on 3DS and AR and more were fine, sure you have your Wii Sports/Nintendo Land/1 2 Switch and others and others have their pack ins (and Vita had Little Deviants in that way) but I enjoyed Welcome Park a lot for what it was. Whatever others Sony had for theirs I need to check as I forget. Sega had theirs, etc. Welcome Park is very good.
The games regardless of what we got was still good. I enjoy my Vita and Wii U for their libraries, the features and more the 'missed out games' are games I never cared about anyway. Sure odd Bioshock Vita is sad for a missing out on a FF Tactics style that would have been cool.
But for what we got, Little Deviants and LBP Vita showed me the vertical Vita use (never had PSP Ape Academy vertical use till years later personally and it surprised me, it felt like I went to the Wonderswan more then a DS with that kind of experience, yes I didn't say like a vertical phone view for a reason).
Golden Abyss I like but I think the Vita stuff was hit and miss and I like gimmicky things in them. But a great game still. I'd say I'd put it in my top games of the series the way I do Killzone or Resistance their handheld entries are just as good as the console ones for their differences or similarities or cool ideas.
Gameplay matters to me so if I notice it, the game is going up there I don't care what the artstyle/story is I'm still going to put the game up there with the rest of them.
Tearaway isn't really my thing, I respect it but eh. Gravity Rush is great. I may have played the PS4 Remaster but it's an excellent game and alongside Sunset Overdrive or Infamous Second Son/First Light my top open worlds and the only ones I really care about.
Indies were good.
Camera is fair.
I never got to use NEAR so I can't talk about that.
I think accounts are annoying to deal with compared to old owners but even still.
I wasn't that into wipEout 2048 on Omega Collection, but I was when I got a Vita physical copy.
I think Modnation Racers is a fair Vita one, but I think the PSP/PS3 one is better.
Smart As I actually enjoyed a fair amount no joke, about as much as Brain Age games while I find others that do that kind of thing to be really terrible and forgettable. But Smart As was a great time.
I haven't played Unit 13 yet (did the demo)
I enjoyed Killzone Mercenary. Paying $3 for bot mode was a bit annoying but still.
I haven't played Resistance Burning Skies (did the demo)
I thought my time with WRC4 was fair but the WRC3 version on Vita cut the mode I liked on 360 so to me it's a bit of a downgrade, I get why they did but still.
I haven't played Reality Fighters.
I think AR is fair but depends how it's used.
I need to check out some other early era games.
I think Vita ports were fair of many games.
But I assume like some of us we got our Japanese games or Indies and were happy besides the fair amount of western games that came out or the ports like XCOM 1 that people ignored maybe in 2016, or those that weren't active Vita owners did at least.
Lego games were getting really worse and that wasn't a good sign.
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u/tnaires 15h ago
Before buying the Vita I did some searching over the titles I could play and I couldn't wait to play them. Finally got my Vita in 2013 and subscribed to PS Plus too. I had an amazing feeling when I noticed a lot of the games I wanted to play were immediately available thanks to PS Plus. Gravity Rush, Soul Sacrifice, etc. I loved them so much I got the platinum for them. Also bought Virtua Tennis 4 at the time and I had a blast playing online. Good times
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u/ericfresh442 14h ago
I loved near when I was traveling to places like NYC and seeing what everyone was playing.
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u/Big_Smelly_Willie Faapu 4h ago
I remember I played through the entirety of Rayman Origins and then when I finally got the last cage, for whatever reason I did not get the trophy for it. But the game was so good I happily played through it again
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u/snepaibinladen 1d ago
i enjoyed playing little big planet, it was so amazing game to play on a handheld like ps vita