PS Vita - Timeline
Monday19th Jul 2021
News New PS Vita Releases Pegged for 20th July as Sony Ceases Submissions
One last hurrah
While the PS Vita storefront will remain open for the foreseeable future – following a dramatic U-turn from the Japanese giant – Sony is sticking to its original plan of ceasing to accept submissions for the handheld’s PS Store from 20th July, meaning a final batch of new releases will deploy tomorrow. A couple of indie...
Saturday17th Jul 2021
News With the Steam Deck Announced, This Is What a Next-Gen PSP Could Be
Alternate universe
Sony is, quite clearly, done with the handheld market. While there’s no question Nintendo has enjoyed enormous success with its hybrid hardware Nintendo Switch, the previous portable PlayStation failed to capture the imagination of gamers – even if the PS Vita is considered something of a cult classic these days. But...
Tuesday6th Jul 2021
News PS Vita Trends on Twitter as OLED Screen for New Switch Is Revealed
The handheld that could
Here we are once again reminiscing about the PlayStation Vita. Sony's second handheld gaming platform never really caught on like the PSP did, but the gizmo continues to prove how it was ahead of its time. Case in point is today's news from Nintendo, where it has confirmed an updated Switch model will sport an OLED screen. It...
Monday28th Jun 2021
News PS Vita Messages Wiped and Functionality Disabled
Closed communication
PS Vita’s Messages app has officially shutdown today, as per a prior announcement by Sony. It means you can no longer communicate with your friends or potentially even invite them to online games. Furthermore, any historic messages you may have had saved on your system will be wiped from the format itself – although you’ll...
Saturday5th Jun 2021
News PS4, PS Vita Games Can Be Purchased for As Little As £0.16/$0.19 on PS Store Right Now
How low can you go?
PS Store prices have been falling harder and faster than ever before, but the latest round of indie deals on Sony’s storefront has brought with it some of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen. Right now, you can pick up games for as little as £0.16/$0.19 apiece – we’re talking back of the sofa stuff. Obviously, many of...
Saturday8th May 2021
News New PS Vita Games Will Sadly Cease This Summer
Despite the PS Store remaining open
Sony will cease accepting PS Vita software for submission this summer, as despite reversing its decision to remove the portable’s storefront, it will still enforce policies that will effectively bring an end to new releases. Despite nearing its 10th anniversary, titles have continued to deploy on the device with...
Monday19th Apr 2021
News Sony Backtracks PS3, PS Vita Online Store Closures
PSP storefront still closing in July
Sony has officially confirmed it will be backtracking its decision to close the PlayStation Stores associated with the PS3 and PS Vita consoles. The PSP online storefront will still close on 2nd July 2021, but the ensuing closure no longer affects the PS3 and PS Vita. Confirmed in a PlayStation Blog post, Jim...
Friday16th Apr 2021
Feature 10 PS3, PSP, PS Vita Games You May Not Realise Had a Physical Release
Plug the gaps in your physical collection
After the news that Sony is closing down its older PlayStation Stores, we’ve been taking a look at the PS3 and PSP/Vita games you won’t want to miss out on. Players can continue re-downloading t
Tuesday13th Apr 2021
News PS Plus Oversight Is a Bummer for PS3, PS Vita Owners
Issues everywhere
The PlayStation 3 is almost 15 years old, so it’s hardly surprising it has some irksome quirks – but with the closure of the system’s store on 2nd July, subscribers to PS Plus should probably be aware of a potential problem. While your downloads will be retained, you’ll only be able to play any titles you claimed through...
Friday9th Apr 2021
Feature 10 Digital-Only PSP, PS Vita Games to Buy Before the PS Store Closes
Grab those handheld games before they disappear
By now, you’ve likely seen Sony’s plan to close down the PlayStation 3 and Vita stores this Summer. We had our suspicions for some time — after last year’s redesigned PSN web store dropped both sets of games — and news officially came through earlier this month. You can still re-download...
News Ex-Sony Employee Sheds Light on Thinking Behind PS Vita's Proprietary Memory
Platform holder was petrified of hacks
The great PlayStation Network hack in 2011 had a huge cultural impact on Sony, and may have played a part in its decision to controversially utilise expensive proprietary memory in the PS Vita, according to a former employee. As part of an AMA on Reddit – moderators verified the ex-staffer, although their...
Friday2nd Apr 2021
News Around 2,200 Digital Games on the Chopping Block When Sony Closes PS3, PS Vita, PSP Stores
Rough analysis reveals scale of shutdown
Just how many digital games will be lost when Sony closes the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP storefronts? According to VGC, we’re looking at some 2,200 titles that will not be available to purchase on PlayStation in any form once the PS3 and PSP servers shutdown on 2nd July and PS Vita servers close on...
Wednesday31st Mar 2021
News Many PS Vita Devs Cancel Projects After Sudden PS Store Closure
Others rushing to finish titles in time
Sony’s closing the PS Vita’s storefront on 27th August, despite new games being in development for the platform. The short notice – and poor communication from the platform holder – has resulted in the cancellation of numerous projects over the past 48 hours, while other indie developers are scrambling...
Tuesday30th Mar 2021
News ScourgeBringer Will Be the Final PS Vita Game Released Digitally
Available for just 128 days
When it releases next month on 22nd April 2021, ScourgeBringer will become the final PlayStation Vita game to be made available digitally on the platform's storefront. That is before it is pulled just 128 days later as Sony closes the online shop. Director Thomas Altenburger confirmed the unwelcome news over on Twitter...
Monday29th Mar 2021
News The PS Vita Messaging System Is Also Going Offline
Starting 28th June
Sorry PlayStation Vita fans, this is a bad day for you. As well as taking the handheld's built-in storefront offline, Sony is also pulling support for the device's messaging system. Starting 28th June 2021, PS Vita users "will no longer be able to use the messaging service", an email from the Japanese giant reads. We can't imagine...
Reaction Sony's Storefront Closures Put PS5, PS4 Backwards Compatibility Efforts Back in Focus
It hurts to see PlayStation's history left behind
Alongside long overdue confirmation of the closure of its PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP storefronts today, Sony noted that the changes will allow the organisation to “refocus our resources for PS Store on PS5 and PS4, which will enable us to enhance the customer experience even further”. It’s...
News Sony Confirms PS3, PS Vita, PSP Store Closures, Downloads Will Be Retained
Shifting focus and resources to PS5, PS4
Sony has officially confirmed the closure of its legacy PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP storefronts. As previously reported, PS3 and PSP will be closed on 2nd July, while PS Vita will shut on 27th August. While you will still be able to download all of your previous software and video purchases – including...
Tuesday23rd Mar 2021
News Sony Must Communicate Its Plans for PS3, PS Vita, and PSP
We need clear information
This week, a report revealed that Sony plans to disable the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP’s storefronts for purchasing. According to the article published by The Gamer, the PS3 and PSP shops will go offline from 2nd July, and the PS Vita will be disabled on 27th August. We’ve asked the platform holder to elaborate on...
Monday22nd Mar 2021
News PS3, PS Vita, and PSP Online Stores to Close This Summer, Says New Report
Happening this July and August
According to a new report from Kirk Mckeand of The Gamer, Sony plans to shutter the online stores associated with its PlayStation 3 console and handheld devices PS Vita and PSP. This means you won't be able to purchase digital versions of any of the games listed on the storefronts. The PS3 and PSP shops are supposedly...
Tuesday2nd Mar 2021
News PS Vita Owners Have a New Game to Look Forward to Playing
ScourgeBringer also comes to PS4
Rejoice, PlayStation Vita owners! We now have official confirmation that another game will be released on the portable platform, and it just so happens to be ScourgeBringer. Also launching on PS4 on 22nd April 2021, we've heard very good things about this one following its release on other platforms last year. In...
Monday15th Feb 2021
News PS Vita Visual Novel Sharin no Kuni: The Girl Among the Sunflowers Canned
After developer couldn't deliver in time
One of the few remaining upcoming PS Vita games has been binned, as Frontwing has cancelled the crowdfunded handheld version of Sharin no Kuni: The Girl Among the Sunflowers. As part of a long and detailed Kickstarter update, the team essentially explained that the studio responsible for porting the visual...
Monday1st Feb 2021
Mini Review Habroxia 2 (PS4) - Retro Arcade Shooter Will Hold Your Attention
Beam me up
In an industry overloaded with choice, there’s a modesty to Habroxia 2 that’s easy to appreciate. The successor to Lillymo Games retro-inspired arcade shooter humbly thanks you for playing the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita release each time you load it up, and while cynics could hand-wave the gratitude and declare it disingenuous, we get...
Monday25th Jan 2021
News New Releases on PS Vita's Store Updated for First Time in Eons
It's been almost a year
For the first time in almost a year, Sony has updated the new releases segment of the PlayStation Store on the PS Vita. For those of you who haven’t touched the forgotten format in a while, you may not know that the ‘Latest’ section has been abandoned for 10 months, meaning although new software has been deploying on...
Saturday9th Jan 2021
News Official Killzone Website Shut Down, Some Services Affected
Clans in Shadow Fall inaccessible
Developer Guerrilla Games has retired the official Killzone website, meaning it is no longer accessible in its original form. A redirect to PlayStation.com has been set up in its place alongside a quick message from the Dutch team. It reads: "The official website for the Killzone franchise has retired. Going...
Monday4th Jan 2021
Guide Is It Worth Buying a PS Vita in 2021?
The state of play for Sony's handheld
Is it worth buying a PS Vita in 2021? Sony’s well-liked handheld may have been a commercial flop, but it continues to retain an engaged audience almost a decade after its original Japanese release. So, what is it like playing a PS Vita in 2021? Are there any upcoming PS Vita games worth paying attention to?...
Friday4th Dec 2020
News PS Vita Network Issues Solved After 24 Hour Outage
Can now access the PS Store again
Update: PS Vita is now back online and working correctly, meaning you can once again access the PS Store to purchase and download games for the device. You can also transfer software from your PlayStation 3. It took a while to get fixed, but all's well that ends well. Original Story: It’s flying under the radar...
Wednesday2nd Dec 2020
News Throwback Space Shooter Habroxia 2 Fires to PS4, PS Vita on 3rd February
Physical edition pre-orders open soon
If you didn’t play the original Habroxia, then you should dig out your PlayStation 4 or PS Vita and remedy that right now. Despite looking like an uneventful arcade shooter, Lillymo Games proved that it has a good command over old-school gameplay mechanics, and we found ourselves glued to this one for a good...
Wednesday16th Sep 2020
Random Here's Super Mario 64 Running on PS2
And on PS Vita
With the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars looming large, we suppose a scrappy PlayStation 2 port of Super Mario 64 isn’t all that interesting in isolation. Except, from a pure curiosity perspective, it is. The gameplay footage embedded below is riddled with texture bugs that make the title almost unplayable, but the homemade port...
Friday17th Jul 2020
News Danganronpa Games Will Be Pulled From PlayStation Store in September
Vita is the worst hit
If you've been thinking of picking up digital versions of Danganronpa titles, particularly on PlayStation Vita, you'll want to act sooner rather than later. Publisher NIS America has announced that multiple entries in the visual novel franchise will be taken off the PlayStation Store in September without any obvious reason why...
Monday15th Jun 2020
News Persona 4 Golden Fans Remain Hopeful of a PS4 Port
Throw us a bone, Atlus
Former PlayStation Vita exclusive Persona 4 Golden was announced and subsequently released for PC this past weekend, bringing with it one of the very best JRPG experiences around. It's great to see the Atlus classic no longer stranded on a tiny handheld screen, but given the developer's relationship with Sony, we thought there...
