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00:00Join us now for a look behind the machine's massive midnight launch celebrations and the
00:04day one demand that followed. Welcome to MojoPlays and today we're looking at one of the most
00:08underrated handhelds to ever exist. Unless you think it sucks, then we're looking at one of
00:12the worst handhelds to ever exist. I'll pander to anyone, just be nice to me. These are 25 things
00:17you didn't know about the PS Vita. Let's go. Before we continue, we publish content all week
00:23long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:29Secret Port. One of the strangest mysteries about the PS Vita is that random IO port on the top,
00:37because nobody really knows what it was meant for. It's just there, begging to be filled. No official
00:43use, no accessories built around it, nothing. The common theory is that Sony originally had plans
00:48for some kind of add-on or expansion that never ended up happening. What makes it even more
00:52suspicious is that the port was completely removed in later models, like they quietly gave up on
00:56whatever it was supposed to be. Because of that, it's become a bit of a joke online. People claim
01:00it's for everything from a Sony waffle maker to full-on life support.
01:07Screenshot.
01:08Hey everyone, this is a short video showing you how to take screenshots on your Vita.
01:12Every Sony console has a long list of features unknown to the average player, and one of the
01:16most substantial on the PS Vita is that pressing the Start and PS buttons simultaneously takes a
01:21screenshot. It's a super simple way to capture moments, from your games to share to friends.
01:26But that information wasn't fed to plays effectively, because I had no idea.
01:31So you go up to your photos.
01:34Product placement.
01:35If your PS Vita system won't power on when you press and hold the power button for five seconds,
01:40this probably indicates that the batteries drain.
01:43Here's a quirk of the Vita that basically comes down to promo.
01:45The charger can be plugged in either way, but it can only actually charge if the PlayStation
01:50logo is facing you. Flip it the other way, nothing. No charge, no warning, just vibes.
01:55So why even design it like that? If it physically fits both ways, you'd assume it should work both
01:59ways. But nope, there's clearly a correct direction, even though nothing about the port tells you that.
02:04Sony just wants to stare at you while they give you power. It's alpha energy.
02:08You can turn the system on once the orange light is solid, but the battery will only be partially
02:12charged.
02:12Too many symbols.
02:13What you've come to know as NGP, our next generation portable, is officially named PlayStation
02:21Vita.
02:22Here's a detail about the PS Vita that sounds completely made up until you actually check
02:25it. And trust me, I started just to make sure it was possible. There are 1,638 tiny PlayStation
02:31symbols etched into the rear touchpad. We're talking X, triangle, square, and circle, all packed
02:37together in this barely noticeable pattern. The weird part is, why? It doesn't have a
02:42effect gameplay. It's not something you can really see while using it. And most players
02:46probably never even realized it was there. I'll tell you why. Because it's sick.
02:53Apple theft. You can see first off that each page you can set a different color, which is
02:57nice. The PS Vita basically borrowed a page straight out of smartphones with how it handled
03:01its home screen. If you hold your finger on an icon for a couple of seconds, everything
03:06starts to shift and you can move apps around however you want, just like an iPhone or iPad.
03:11But then it adds its own twist. Instead of one long screen, you can create up to 10 separate
03:15sections, each holding up to 10 icons. So now you're not just organizing apps, you're organizing
03:20entire pages of them. But seriously, how many sections does anyone actually need? It's not that
03:24good. So this little wave icon here is where you're going to choose your new color. So you can
03:29choose any color. Dust protection. The PlayStation Vita inspires new ways to game. The PS Vita game
03:39slot has this tiny little plastic flap covering it. And while it technically makes sense, it's also
03:44kind of annoying. The purpose? It helps keep dust and dirt out, which is great for protecting the
03:49cartridge and the system. Fair enough, but actually opening it, that's where things get frustrating.
03:54If you don't have nails, get a grip. Puns.
03:57Your answers are possible.
04:02Where's the manual? Okay. Memory cards are very, super tiny, very small.
04:08One neat, but slightly overlooked feature of the PS Vita is how it handled game manuals. Instead
04:12of including a physical booklet, which we all miss dearly, the manual was actually stored directly
04:17on the cartridge itself. So when you selected the game from the home screen, you could just tap
04:21into the manual right there. It's a smart idea, but also kind of easy to ignore. You know what isn't
04:26easy to ignore? The giant map that came with RDR2. Easily do that. Hit this button again.
04:32It brings open a list of tabs. Also on the top of the screen, you can notice
04:37these little icons for everything you have running in the back. Eye strain.
04:40All right, so here is my magnifying glass solution that I've made.
04:46There is a surprisingly useful feature hidden in the PS Vita settings that a lot of people probably
04:51never touched. If you turn on zoom in the accessibility options, you can press the PS button
04:55plus square to zoom in on the screen and move around. It's one of those things that doesn't sound
04:59like much, but when you start using it, you'll never stop. Games with small text or lots of detail
05:05suddenly become way easier to read and see. Something like Darkest Dungeon, for example,
05:10benefits a ton from it. It's weirdly hidden and unknown considering how useful it actually ends up
05:15being. All right, so here's the top view of it. And because I play at an angle, I kind of
05:21play like this.
05:22Produce Station.
05:28As we've seen, the PS Vita had some pretty odd little features, and this is definitely one of them.
05:33Using the built-in mic, you could make noises, talk, hum, whatever, and the system could turn
05:38it into a basic music track. The strangest part is how random it feels. It's not something most
05:43people bought the PS Vita for, but the apps are all there ready to be used.
05:51Menu Appearance. When running these apps, you're able to return to the main menu by using the home
05:55button, and each app has its own little homepage that you can revisit by using the touchscreen.
05:59The PS Vita had a pretty slick little feature that a lot of people probably didn't fully use.
06:03By double tapping the PS button, you could bring up a menu showing all the apps currently running
06:07in the background. From there, you could quickly jump between them or close them out. It also tied into
06:12how customizable the system felt overall. You could tweak how your menus were laid out, manage everything in a
06:17way that felt closer to a smartphone and not like a PlayStation. It was like a smart station.
06:22It's worth noting that the main interface for the Vita is interacted solely through the use of the
06:26touchscreen. Modding. But when I picked up this 13-year-old Sony PlayStation Vita for the first time
06:32last week, holy freaking crap. Even though the PS Vita has been discontinued for years, it's weirdly more
06:40alive now than it probably should be. The homebrew scene in 2026 has pushed the system way beyond what
06:46Sony originally intended, unlocking features that almost feel illegal, and probably are.
06:51Through mods and custom firmware, players have managed to get things like enhanced PS4 remote
06:55play working, along with experimental Android emulation. Nice.
07:00Or the hacking and the modding and the crazy stuff you can do, which I'll show you. It would be
07:05the
07:05aura, the vibe. The Vita has this energy that is so hard to explain, but once you feel it,
07:12you can't unsee it.
07:13Worse screen to cut costs.
07:17One of the standout features of the original PS Vita was its OLED screen, which looked insanely good
07:22for a handheld at the time. Think about how big a deal it was when the Switch finally got OLED.
07:27Colors were super vibrant, blacks were super deep, and everything just popped in a way most portable
07:32devices couldn't match. Then the later Slim model came along and switched to an LCD screen instead.
07:38The reason? Cost cutting. It's a weird trade-off when you think about it, especially when people
07:43could actually notice a difference. Rear trackpad. One of the things the PS Vita did, that PS fans
08:03never expected, was its rear touchpad. On paper, that opens up all kinds of possibilities, like
08:07interacting with games in ways that feel totally different from normal buttons. In something like
08:11sound shapes, you could use it to draw or interact with elements in creative ways, which sounds cool,
08:17but also kind of raises questions. How often did games actually need it? And how many players even
08:22remembered it was there? Sony failed the Vita. Six-axis motion sensing technology.
08:30The PS Vita is broadly considered a failure, with many thinking it was the market and competition,
08:36but there's a pretty strong argument that the PS Vita failed because of how Sony handled it.
08:41At launch, the PS Vita felt like a big deal. Great visuals, dual analog sticks, loads of potential.
08:47But the moment things started slipping, Sony seemed to lose interest. Big events and trade shows would
08:53come and go, with barely a mention of it, like it didn't even exist anymore. It was always going to
08:58struggle,
08:59but the strangest part is how quickly Sony seemed to give up. Poor Vita.
09:06Power secrets. Then let me show you how to enter safe mode on your PS Vita.
09:10The PS Vita had a bunch of power button features, and here's a few. Press and hold the power button,
09:15PS button and R shoulder button at the same time for five seconds and you enter recovery mode.
09:19Press and quickly release the power button to put PS Vita into standby mode. Press and hold the PS
09:24button for two seconds and release, and a panel pops up allowing you to change brightness, music,
09:28volume, disable mic and change audio chat settings. A lot of little features. Press and hold the power
09:34button for 10 seconds and release, and you force the PS Vita to power off immediately. And that's
09:38just a few. The whole system runs on that one button. Press X, or in case you have a Japanese
09:44PS Vita, then you'll need to press this circle. Game screen links. They have customized startup
09:50screens for everything. So they'll have like a news, which will jump you straight to the website.
09:54Each game on the PS Vita had its own custom screen, which sounds like a small detail,
09:59but actually went a bit further than expected. Instead of just showing the game icon,
10:03it could include extra features, like links to the game's official website,
10:07and sometimes even a direct shortcut to the PlayStation Store for DLC.
10:11On paper, that's pretty convenient. Everything tied to the game is right there in one place.
10:16So they'll have like a news, which will jump you straight to the website,
10:19and then a DLC, which will jump you straight to the store page on the PlayStation Store.
10:24PS3 compatibility. Then you wanna look for this app right here, PS3 gameplay remote.
10:32The PS Vita and the PlayStation 3 had this whole cross connection thing going on
10:35that sounded way bigger than it actually ended up being. In theory, you could play with or against
10:39each other across both systems in compatible games, which is ambitious as hell. Then it went even
10:45further. Some titles that you pause your game on the PS3 and pick it back up later on the PS
10:50Vita,
10:50or the other way around. You know, in case poopies.
10:54Anything I'm having on the PS3. If you know about this, please let me know in the comment below.
10:59Record Breaking Launch.
11:00Join us now for a look behind the machine's massive midnight launch celebrations
11:04and the day one demand that followed.
11:06Maybe the handheld was on paper a failure, but it did break one really substantial record.
11:12The PS Vita launched with the biggest day one lineup in PlayStation history.
11:18Admittedly, that's only 25 games, but a record nonetheless.
11:22They also had already announced on day one over 100 games in development,
11:26including big names like Uncharted, Call of Duty, Little Big Planet and Assassin's Creed.
11:30...to have their asses professionally kicked by amazing cosplayer and wipeout warrior, Amy Nakajima.
11:36A first for AR.
11:43The PS Vita pushed into some pretty experimental territory,
11:46touching on augmented reality almost a decade before everyone else.
11:49Using both the front and rear cameras,
11:51it could take real-world images and drop them straight into gameplay,
11:55blending reality with the game world.
11:57You could scan AR cards or QR codes through the camera app to trigger content,
12:02with games like Invisimals letting you battle creatures in your own surroundings.
12:06I'd love VR on the Vita, but then it'd be called PSV-VR, and that just won't do.
12:24The PS Vita was pitched as this always-connected handheld,
12:27thanks to having both Wi-Fi and even optional 3G support built-in.
12:31You could stay connected, check social apps, and keep up with other players wherever you were.
12:35It almost feels like Sony was aiming for a fully online handheld,
12:38before that was really the norm.
12:40Unfortunately, for things like 3G, you needed a separate data plan,
12:44so it ended up in this weird spot.
12:46Super connected in theory, but kind of restricted by the era.
12:50I have to say, graphics-wise, this is a very, very nice piece of hardware.
12:55PS Life.
12:57Everyone wants the Taco Bell five-buck box, because everyone wants the new PlayStation Vita.
13:02The name PS Vita actually has a pretty meaningful origin. Vita translates to life in Latin,
13:09which ties directly into what Sony was aiming for with the system. The idea wasn't just to make
13:13another handheld, it was to create something that blended gaming with everyday life. As Sony's John
13:19Kohler explained, the goal was to build a device that combined entertainment and social connectivity
13:23into one experience. And when you look at what the PS Vita could do, games, apps, online features,
13:29it might have thrived in 2026 more than 2011.
13:37Walkman Before You Run.
13:44The PS Vita didn't just come from anywhere, it was shaped by someone with a serious history behind
13:50them. Takashi Sagabi, a designer from Sony, was involved in its creation. And here's the wild part,
13:56he also worked on the original Sony Walkman back in 1979. That's a pretty incredible link when you
14:02think about it. The Walkman basically defined portable entertainment for its time, and years later,
14:08Sagabi was helping design a device aiming to do something similar for gaming.
14:17PC Vita.
14:19Now, this video here is about, I guess, PC connectivity.
14:22The PS Vita made it really easy to connect with your PC, and you didn't even need cables if you
14:26didn't
14:26want them. Using the Content Manager, you could set everything up wirelessly and start transferring files
14:32straight to your system. That meant moving games, music, videos, and photos across without any hassle,
14:38which felt super convenient for the time. But it didn't stop there. You could also stream supported
14:43media directly from your PC to your PS Vita. So instead of just being handheld for games, it doubled as
14:49a
14:49portable media hub you could sync with your setup at home. That's it. I'm blowing dust off my Vita
14:55tonight. So, straight from my PC, you can see some signs that I got.
14:59All the sensors.
15:06The connection to Life, or Vita, encouraged a connection with the five sensors. This is why PS Vita
15:13gamers have five ways to control the action. Depending on what each game supports, players can
15:19use the five-inch touchscreen, the back touch panel, familiar PlayStation button, circle, square,
15:24triangle, X, shoulders, D-pad, dual analog sticks, and a built-in gyroscope sensor to tilt the unit in
15:31various directions. This was an intentional nod wrapped up into their life marketing. It's clever,
15:36but god is it unnecessary. Lifesaver. One of the nicest quality of life features on the PS Vita is
15:51how forgiving it is when your battery dies mid-game. Instead of losing progress or being kicked back to
15:57a menu, the system actually remembers exactly where you were. So once you plug it in, charge it up and
16:03turn it back on, you're dropped right back into your game like nothing ever happened. No reload
16:07screens, no restarting sections, just straight back into the action. It's such a small detail,
16:13but it makes a huge difference, especially for long play sessions that get cut short by a dead battery.
16:19Peace all of a sudden. It's just, I don't go around wearing endangered species on my feet.
16:23Yeah, well they cost me a lot. More dull than you make in a year. Oh yeah? Which year? I've
16:26had a couple
16:27good ones. Oh really? Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from MojoPlays and be sure to
16:31subscribe and ring the bell to be notified of our latest videos.
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