Wishing The PlayStation Vita A Bittersweet 10th Birthday

The video game industry has undergone some massive changes over the last several years, including a move away from dedicated handheld systems. Sony is focused almost exclusively on the PS5 these days, but back on February 15, 2012, it released one of the best handheld game systems of all time--one that bridged the gap in quality between home and portable consoles. We want to wish a bittersweet 10th birthday to the PlayStation Vita.

The PlayStation Vita released in an early access bundle with the game Little Deviants on February 15, with its full launch happening a week later on February 22. Other launch titles included Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Rayman Origins, Wipeout 2048, and Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational. It was one of Sony's strongest launch lineups for any of its systems, and the games were soon joined by others like MLB The Show 12 and Gravity Rush.

At $250, or $300 for the bundle, the PlayStation Vita wasn't cheap, but it was worth the money. An OLED touchscreen before they were common, two analog sticks, a rear touch-pad, and motion control all made it a joy to play. In the case of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, using the sticks in conjunction with very slight motion control made aiming weapons a joy, and arguably easier than on a traditional controller.

The Vita, sadly, never really caught on the way Sony wanted it to, in contrast to the moderately successful PSP. After marketing it as a companion device for the PS4 and releasing a few more great games, including Killzone: Mercenary, Sony ultimately discontinued the system and stopped publishing titles for it. Occasionally, independent creators have released more games for it, and it got a good amount of indie games before its death--in fact, there are few better ways to play Thomas Was Alone or Hotline Miami. But alas, it wasn't enough, so we will leave this birthday cake at your headstone, dear friend.