Is it still worth buying a PS VITA in 2017? Yes! I got the PS VITA on the day of release and it has more than 700+ hours of playtime.  Are you still in doubt of purchasing it or just curious, in this article I will give you my personal top five reasons why it’s still worth to get the PS VITA in 2017.

When the PS VITA was launched in 2011 it blew everyone away with it’s (almost full) HD graphics and double analog sticks which would be sure to deliver an unique handheld experience. The initial support of publishers was promising but declined over time. With launch games as Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Escape Plan and wipEout 2048 it sure let everyone know that it was and would be a force to be reckoned with. It did had some market players and development to fight against. The 3DS of Nintendo delivered an unique way of playing, Nintendo branded games and a lower price. However, an even bigger threat came from the mobile gaming market. Apps with the price of $ 0.79 cent up to $ 4 (like Street Fighter 4), the PS VITA had some hard times to gain ground.

Still, the first time a saw the PS VITA in action and the trailers of the upcoming games, I knew I had to get one myself. Games like Gravity Rush, Street Fighter X Tekken and Killzone Mercenary were the ones that got me really excited. It also became a great addition in my household with the remote play function. This way I get still enjoy my games, even when the misses wants to use the TV.

Taking all these things into considering, the PS VITA is not dead but call it fully alive may go too far. Should you still buy it then in 2017? Absolutely yes and I will give my five personal reasons of why you should.

1. The gaming library of PS VITA

With PS VITA exclusive games, PS One, PS2 & PS3 classics and Playstation Network apps you can get will give enough options to game. I still play Battlefront II sometimes, the classic one not the new Battlefront II that is coming in November (-obviously).

There are some games have really stood out for me; Tales of Hearts R, Gravity Rush, Street Fighter X Tekken, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Escape Plan, Guacamelee!, Uncharted Golden Abyss, Rayman Legends, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 & Assassins Creed III: Liberation. All games that have amazing graphics and gameplay. Especially Gucamelee! had me so hooked that I can’t stop till I got the platinum trophy.

These are just the games that I have played. Currently you have more than 900+ games to choose from. So don’t let the “Not enough games” bug bite you. Especially when you also see the huge amount of remakes of games you might not have played before. Like what I had with the Metal Gear series and the God of War franchise. To be hones, I did played the remakes of God of War on the PS3. But heck, if I hadn’t done I would most definitely played them on the PS VITA.

In 2017 there are still some very anticipated games being released and there is still more going in 2018:

Which already gives a small introduction to my next point…

2. Get your Japanese on!

Aside from the entire game library, it’s also really cool to have enough of Japanese games to your disposal. Back in the days we could only dream of playing overseas games. Aside from big titles like Street Fighter, Tekken, Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy, there were also a lot of games that were never released in the West. Think of titles like Terranigma but also more recent: Jump Ultimate Stars.

On the PS VITA you have a lot of Japanese titles to choose from. For example;

• Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth;
• J-Stars Victory VS+;
• Gundam Breaker 2;
• Tales of Innocence & Tales of Hearts R;
• Metal Gear Solid (remakes);
• Soul Sacrifice;
• Attack on Titan;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even a couple days ago Bandai Namco dropped the latest trailer of Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory. I had a amazing time with the prequel and can’t wait to begin a new adventure in the upcoming sequel:

3. PS VITA Remote-play = Happy wife, happy life!

Remote play is a real marriage saver hehe. If someone else wants to use your TV, but you do want play your (PS4) game, you can use Remote Play to play your favourite game on the couch while the other person can still watch their favourite show.

Trying to set it up? Use this guide, it also worked for me.

4. Unique controls and solid design

Bruh! Thing looks thing, when you walk around with the PS VITA in your hands you don’t need to feel ashamed for anything:

It’s really comfortable playing and you can play for hours without experiencing any inconvenience in your hands and/or fingers. The original PS VITA had an OLED screen. This is not the case anymore with the 2.0 version, but it’s still looking amazing.

The PS VITA has a touch screen at both the front and the back of the handheld. Creating a kinds of different ways to control a game and/or character. Especially Escape Plan is a must-have just to experience the different kind of innovative gameplay and controls.

5. Beats every smartphone to pulp

Come on, just be honest. Gaming on a smartphone is cool. The only game I actively play is Pokemon GO. Aside from that, you can play a real game. Mainly because of inaccuracy when you are actually using your finger on-screen to give commando’s. Sure, there are also games that are made for smartphones, like Angry Birds, Super Mario Run and Pokémon GO. However, playing a game like Street Fighter is just better with control sticks and buttons… except snake #NokiaNeverReallyDies

Infinity Blade was nice, but did had the jokes Nathan Drake? Nope!

So… let’s get yours!

That pretty much sums up why it’s still worth buying a PS VITA in 2017 and also enjoying it in 2018 and beyond.

If you are convinced to purchase the PS VITA I would first of all like to say: Welcome to the club!

Thanks for reading and if you liked this than you can also:

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G.L.A.D.

Other news on GameLikeADutchie: All the details of Battlefront II you need to know, Buying games on release, How to easy calculate the hidden IV in Pokémon GO