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Just booted up my Vita for the first time in over a year, and holy shit.

Spork4000

Spork4000

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
8,477
This thing is fucking TINY. I've used my Switch at least a few times a week for the past three years and I had no idea I'd be this acclimated to large handhelds, but I don't think it's just that. I have an iPhone 10s with a larger screen and an iPad pro with a much larger screen. I feel like I'm squinting trying to use this thing and my hands cramped up almost instantly. Vita era, how do you still use this in a world where it's dwarfed by almost every other consumer electronic? Would I just get used to it again if I kept using it?
 
Coolduderedux

Coolduderedux

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,464
Not only that, i'm sure it still had a considerable amount of charge left. That Vita was a wizard with battery life.

Fake edit: Also, this was back in the day with 5" screens were big, so being an a 6"+ phone for years makes it hard to go back.
 
IlGialloMondadori

IlGialloMondadori

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
5,495
I loved my vita, but it always felt like it had too many compromises. The switch feels like what I wanted from the vita.
 
Finale Fireworker

Finale Fireworker

Love each other or die trying.
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,710
United States
I'm glad it still worked. All my Vita memory cards died after a couple years of storage. šŸ˜„

100s of games installed and meticulously organized to my great pleasure - gone. I was so disappointed that I didn't even bother fixing them. My Vitas gave up on me. I remain devastated.
 
Hieroph

Hieroph

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,995
I haven't booted or charged my Vita for over a year. I'm kind of worried for the battery, I really should get around to it.
 
Max|Payne

Max|Payne

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,927
Portugal
I couldn't play Killzone Mercenary for more than 20 minutes at a times due to excruciating hand cramping.

Edit: a shame it never got a PS4 remaster as it's actually a pretty good game.
 
TheChrisGlass

TheChrisGlass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,604
Los Angeles, CA
I still bring mine out. I bought the largest memory card just because they ain't going to get cheaper.
But I also have a PSTV. I need to figure out which games should be best played on each and split up the installs.
 

mrmoose

Member
Nov 13, 2017
21,135
Yeah, the battery life in general is terrific, though at least with my settings the screen goes to sleep really quickly.

I brought it out to play the SD Gundam game (the sequel is on the switch) and I'm not sure why I ever put the vita down besides the shiny newness of other systems.

I'm afraid to go look for my PSP because I'm sure the battery has exploded by now.
 

FPX

One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,272
I remember I stopped using my Vita because it was on firmware 3.60 which was the needed firmware to mod it, but I never really got around to it. So it's been sitting on a little display stand I made on my bookshelf for a while. Thinking I might just update it proper and get around to some of the games I started and never finished. Is it still worth it to mod, for emulators and ability to use a micro sd card? Any other neat things you can do to mod it?
 
Mirage

Mirage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,549
Finale Fireworker said:
I'm glad it still worked. All my Vita memory cards died after a couple years of storage. šŸ˜„

100s of games installed and meticulously organized to my great pleasure - gone. I was so disappointed that I didn't even bother fixing them. My Vitas gave up on me. I remain devastated.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
And here I thought vita meant life. That sucks though, would be quite disappointing to discover that.
 
samred

samred

Amico fun conversationalist
Member
Nov 4, 2017
2,581
Seattle, WA
Coolduderedux said:
, i'm sure it still had a considerable amount of charge left. That Vita was a wizard with battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Not a universal truth. My launch-period Vita has always been garbage at keeping a charge when powered down and left in a drawer. I commonly have to leave it charged for no less than 30 minutes upon every "return after a month of non-use" attempt, then re-enter the date/time info. It's always been a big limiter for my enjoyment of the device.
 
In Amber Clad

In Amber Clad

static and disarray
Moderator
Aug 26, 2018
5,500
London
/shrug I played mine a few weeks back, first time since the Switch came out, and it was absolutely fine.

I do have the joetsu grip on my (launch day!) Vita though, so it's more comfortable to hold than the Switch anyway.
 
Nickerous

Nickerous

Member
Nov 2, 2017
811
Play my 3ds constantly, but vita never seems to get in the rotation. Maybe I'll get back to it soon. Loving the switch lite too.
 
Tater

Tater

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,581
FantasticMrFoxdie said:
Same way I felt when I last booted mine up.

Irony is I remember it was considered pretty big for its time
These mobile consoles were originally meant for pockets lol
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Yeah, when I first turned on my Vita ~8 years ago, it felt like the future. Such a vibrant, large screen for a portable. It's outclassed by the Switch now, but it really was amazing hardware for its time.
 
Prelude

Prelude

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,555
"Hands cramping" people are always funny, just relax your hands and keep playing, the discomfort will be gone in less than a day unless you really have a fucked up grip you don't wanna fix.
 
ss_lemonade

ss_lemonade

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,641
Coolduderedux said:
Not only that, i'm sure it still had a considerable amount of charge left. That Vita was a wizard with battery life.

Fake edit: Also, this was back in the day with 5" screens were big, so being an a 6"+ phone for years makes it hard to go back.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It was a wizard, while in sleep mode. I think actual battery life was just about average. Maybe 3 - 5 hours?
 
Devilgunman

Devilgunman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,450
I wish the Switch has Vita's form factor, tbh. Switch is too large. The Vita is much more comfortable to play.
 
Animus Vox

Animus Vox

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,498
NYC
samred said:
Not a universal truth. My launch-period Vita has always been garbage at keeping a charge when powered down and left in a drawer. I commonly have to leave it charged for no less than 30 minutes upon every "return after a month of non-use" attempt, then re-enter the date/time info. It's always been a big limiter for my enjoyment of the device.
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Click to shrink...
Same, my vita was dead pretty much every time I left it in a drawer for a few days.
 
Another

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
I still use it daily because the Switch isn't an actual portable system I can carry on me and as such the Vita or the 3DS still get alot of use out of me.
 

Deleted member 63139

User requested account closure
Banned
Jan 17, 2020
399
The Vita was SO POWERFUL when it released, way more than the Switch back in 2017.

If they persisted and released a Vita 2, it'd have the most powerful mobile/tablet SoC, probably overclocked and tweaked by Sony...along with a good cooling solution contrary to all those smartphones that throttles after 2 min.

A shame they left this market.
 
ghibli99

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,673
Try going back to a DS Lite, which I did recently to start playing that era's Castlevania titles. I couldn't believe how small those screens are! And yet those games are able to get text size right as opposed to a good number of titles on Switch and Vita...
 
maouvin

maouvin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,757
Blumenau - Brazil
I still use an iPhone SE, so Vita's screen is just fine - but I get you OP, since I feel the same when I hold my PSP lol.
I like how light the Vita is too, portable Switch is super cool but sadly too heavy for more than short bursts for me (I'd get a Lite if cloud saving worked for anything I play, or if it was dockable too. Alas.)
 

Deleted member 21709

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
23,310
samred said:
Not a universal truth. My launch-period Vita has always been garbage at keeping a charge when powered down and left in a drawer. I commonly have to leave it charged for no less than 30 minutes upon every "return after a month of non-use" attempt, then re-enter the date/time info. It's always been a big limiter for my enjoyment of the device.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I have the opposite experience, looks like you might have a faulty battery.
 
RedOnePunch

RedOnePunch

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,628
It's so good though. That OLED screen is amazing and it's got one of the best dpads ever made. It's also actually portable with a screen not much smaller than the switch lite. Recently playing shovel knight on the switch lite and that dpad sucks. Had more fun playing it on the Vita
 
Baron Von Beans

Baron Von Beans

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,176
I've used my Vita daily Since it was released. To me, everything about it is perfect. I'm very comfortable with any control set up Especially with remote play, when the rear panel turns in to 4 buttons. I almost never have issues pressing what I want, and my hands don't cramp up with it either. Now, I use it to play my ps4, despite my ps4 being ~20ft away or so. I feel if I sit on my console, being tucked away in the back of my home, I'm too cut off. I love Vita remote play though...thousands of hours have been spent playing MoHun and GTAO with it. Even from like 40-50 miles away. I've fine tuned my network over the years, so for me it works near flawlessly, no matter how I connect it. It's been my favorite gaming thing to happen, aside from VR. I'll be sad to see it die out next gen :(
 
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