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Where can I get a Vita in 2019 (and should I)?

Heart of Poumn

Heart of Poumn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,355
During the later years of the Vita, I was hoping that the portable would go on discount with stores wanting to clear their stock and I could pick one up on the cheap. Unfortunately, it appears that these stores managed to sell out their remaining units, or found a way to rid themselves of them. I think I still want a Playstation Vita, as there are games I would like to play on one. If I want a new unit, I could go to Amazon or ebay, but buying electronics from a 3rd party seems risky. There's also import sites where I can get a unique color/theme Vita, but I'm likely to pay more than I would want for this thing.

Or maybe I should just not buy one at all or find a Vita TV for cheap and use that? I would miss the portability, but the costs of getting a Vita are high enough that I could just buy a Switch instead.

Did I miss my chance at a cheap Vita? Should I continue my search on a decent sale? Should I just give up? Help me!
 
Clear

Clear

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,566
Connecticut
I lucked out and got a deal on Mercari. $150 for a mint condition vita slim with a 8gb card and the hori controller add on that makes it easier to do remote play on the ps4.

I think the prices are going to continue to go up now that production has stopped and all of them can now be mod'ed with homebrew.

I say keep the search going, check the B/S/T sometimes people unload bundles for dirt cheap prices.
 

Deleted member 14313

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,622
You aren't going to find new Vitas in mainstream stores. There will be no sales as smaller online retailers know they will eventually sell the last ones they have. Either buy from them or buy used. That's it.
 
jacks81x

jacks81x

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,460
NYC
I don't think you're going to find them for cheap. As soon as Sony announced they were stopping manufacturing of Vita's, I immediately bought one from Amazon Japan because I knew they would become a collector's item. The scalpers were going to buy them all up.
 
C.Mongler

C.Mongler

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
3,881
Washington, DC
Vita TVs are getting pretty expensive now that the Vita ecosystem is 100% exploitable. They're around $100 used, but that's quite a bit considering I picked up mine brand-new with a controller for like $40-50 when stores were purging their inventories of them. New ones are going for about $200.

At this point you're going to have slim options for purchasing a new Vita to be honest, and the options that you do find are going to be well over $200 too. I would recommend looking at a used one at this juncture; most of your seller sites are very buyer friendly, so if anything is fucky with it you can always complain and get your money back fairly easily.
 
JustTom

JustTom

Member
May 28, 2018
1,445
Germany...
Bilix said:
Or maybe I should just not buy one at all or find a Vita TV for cheap and use that?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I strongly advise you against doing this. There are games you cannot play on a PSTV due to the lack of a touchscreen. Try getting a Vita, it'll be worth it in the end. My GOAT is a Vita game, Persona 4 Golden. Keep searching, you'll find a suitable one eventually.
Remember: Vita means life.
 
.exe

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,233
Totally worth getting. It's such a great machine. I like the feel of the system and really appreciate how compact and well-built it is.
I'd probably get a proper Vita. The portability is where its at. A lot of the games on Vita you can play elsewhere on a big screen already.
 
DocSeuss

DocSeuss

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,784
vitas are fucking amazing, you can basically install any PSP or PSX game on them, and moonlight works, so you can stream games from your PC too. They're phenomenal.
 
JangleLuke

JangleLuke

Member
Oct 4, 2018
1,604
Don't bother, UNLESS you hack it and buy an SD2VITA adapter. (it lets you use standard micro-Sd cards, sacrificing the cartridge slot)

That device straight-up redeems the Vita.

I got mine used from Gamestop for 60 Euros (a steal), so I suggest cheking their site, especially when they do temporary offers.
 
EdgeXL

EdgeXL

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,788
California
I bought one in February of this year. I went with the blue import model. You can find it on Amazon and Play Asia.

The import systems are not a problem to use at all. When you set it up you just select English or your preferred language. Only real difference is that O button is confirm and X is cancel on the OS. During games the buttons work as developers intended (usually X confirms and O cancels).
 
demi

demi

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,833
You could try local sellers. CraigsList, Facebook... I see Vitas posted up on my local Facebook often, comes with games too.
 
Hamster Plugin

Hamster Plugin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,841
Bilix said:
Seems like I should continue my search. Are memory card prices still fucked?
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Click to shrink...
You should find and order an sd2vita adapter and just use a 128GB Micro-SD card for everything. Note that if you are going with a Vita 1000 model, you still need a Vita memory card to complete the hack process, but even a small 4GB one will work for that. If you find a Vita 2000 model, there is no need for a memory card.
 
cvxfreak

cvxfreak

DINO CRISIS SUX
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
945
Tokyo
They're not hard to find in Japan used if things don't go well elsewhere. More colors available too. That said the O and X buttons are swapped in menus.
 
Komo

Komo

Info Analyst
Verified
Jan 3, 2019
7,110
Euman said:
Is there a firmware restriction on that? I just remember when I was looking into it I my firmware was too new.
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As far as I remember once you have CFW on your Vita it's basically no need to do anything past that. I bought both 3.0 and 5.0 adapters for the sd2vita just incase one of them didn't work.

If you do get a 3g vita then you have an option of completely removing the 3g module and replacing it with an sdcard reader which i've heard is a lot easier to use, but getting a 3g vita is harder to come by.
 

Deleted member 16876

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
39,148
Yeah they are totally worth it.

Get one, hack it and install SD2Vita then you will have a device that can play Vita, PSP (every game works just like the PSP) and most PS1 games. Then you could also install an emulator that lets you play pretty much any pre N64 device on it competently.
 

Deleted member 22750

Oct 28, 2017
13,267
if you want mine let me know
 
Last edited:

Deleted member 49535

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 10, 2018
2,825
I'm not a Nintendo person, but even I would get a Switch over a PS Vita. Now that you have Crash/Spyro and the three mainline FF games on Switch I honestly see no reason to own a Vita (unless you're REALLY into PSP games I guess?).
 
stn

stn

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,601
Get a standard Vita, skip on the PS TV. Its a fantastic handheld and really worth it.
 
Euman

Euman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
455
Karonoth said:
I'm not a Nintendo person, but even I would get a Switch over a PS Vita. Now that you have Crash/Spyro and the three mainline FF games on Switch I honestly see no reason to own a Vita (unless you're REALLY into PSP games I guess?).
Click to expand...
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I have mine basically only for the PSOne classics on the shop. Kinda because I like to play rpgs handheld, but I'd almost just rather have get a PS3 and play them there.
 
Nexus2049

Nexus2049

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,833
Sorry to bump but I've recently started using my launch Vita again (after years (yes I'm loving it)), and heard about the SD2Vita solution. How exactly does that work? Do you need to do custom firmware/jailbreak? If so, any guides on how to do that? Do you lose online functionality?
 
Kindekuma

Kindekuma

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
4,730
I regret not buying a PS Vita when they got down to like $20. Maaaan I could stand to revisit P4G.
 
Teamocil

Teamocil

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,133
So mad at myself for selling my perfect condition white vita to GameStop in college for cash. $50. I'm an idiot and they're scammers
 
GalmLikePalm

GalmLikePalm

Member
Nov 29, 2017
71
Amazon or Ebay.
No.
Not unless you really want to play remastered P4 and are willing to buy an entire console to do so.
 
Gaardus

Gaardus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,592
Elitist1945 said:
Sorry to bump but I've recently started using my launch Vita again (after years (yes I'm loving it)), and heard about the SD2Vita solution. How exactly does that work? Do you need to do custom firmware/jailbreak? If so, any guides on how to do that? Do you lose online functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The SD2Vita is a microSD adapter that goes in the game cartridge slot. You'll need to install a custom firmware and some plugins to use it, but once you have everything set up, you end up using the microSD card the same way you do the official memory card (aside from where it's inserted). Games from the store get downloaded to the microSD, patches go there, screenshots you take, etc. If losing access to the cartridge slot is a concern for your physical games, you can dump the game cartridges pretty easily and copy them to the SD card. Alternatively, if your Vita is a 3G model, you can use a different adapter called the PSVSD, which replaces the 3G module instead of filling the game cartridge slot.

You don't lose online functionality with a hacked Vita; people have been using hacked Vitas online for years without getting banned. It seems like the only people who do get banned are syncing trophies with a particular subset of pirated games.

This is the definitive guide to hacking a Vita:

Home | Vita Guide

A complete guide to PS Vita (TV) custom firmware, from stock to Ensō.
vita.hacks.guide vita.hacks.guide
 

Deleted member 41651

User-requested account closure
Banned
Apr 3, 2018
1,981
Ebay, Amazon. I sold my slim (I'm sorry!) with an SD2VITA/micro sd card for 215. The prices will probably get worse.
 
mrglcs

mrglcs

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,303
Germany
Gaardus said:
The SD2Vita is a microSD adapter that goes in the game cartridge slot. You'll need to install a custom firmware and some plugins to use it, but once you have everything set up, you end up using the microSD card the same way you do the official memory card (aside from where it's inserted). Games from the store get downloaded to the microSD, patches go there, screenshots you take, etc. If losing access to the cartridge slot is a concern for your physical games, you can dump the game cartridges pretty easily and copy them to the SD card. Alternatively, if your Vita is a 3G model, you can use a different adapter called the PSVSD, which replaces the 3G module instead of filling the game cartridge slot.

You don't lose online functionality with a hacked Vita; people have been using hacked Vitas online for years without getting banned. It seems like the only people who do get banned are syncing trophies with a particular subset of pirated games.

This is the definitive guide to hacking a Vita:

Home | Vita Guide

A complete guide to PS Vita (TV) custom firmware, from stock to Ensō.
vita.hacks.guide vita.hacks.guide
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is awesome, thanks! I revived my OG Vita yesterday after not using it for 3 years (I'm so sorry, my friend) and immediately installed Enso. Just ordered a SD2Vita adapter and can't wait to dump my games. I've had the FFX HD collection for so many years and never really played it :/
 
Marble

Marble

Banned
Nov 27, 2017
3,819
I have a Vita but I would instantly trade it in for a Switch (Lite). It really sucks there are only 2 shoulder buttons.
 
RestEerie

RestEerie

Banned
Aug 20, 2018
13,618
don't know where but if you've already got a PS+ subscription all these years and claimed those free monthly games together with many crossbuy games, then why not..if you can get one for cheap.

The problem is...those memory cards are not at all affordable.
 
eXistor

eXistor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,300
Fantastic system, I still play it daily, mostly for visual novels. Even outside of those it's still worth it imo.
 
NightTerror

NightTerror

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41
Gaardus said:
The SD2Vita is a microSD adapter that goes in the game cartridge slot. You'll need to install a custom firmware and some plugins to use it, but once you have everything set up, you end up using the microSD card the same way you do the official memory card (aside from where it's inserted). Games from the store get downloaded to the microSD, patches go there, screenshots you take, etc. If losing access to the cartridge slot is a concern for your physical games, you can dump the game cartridges pretty easily and copy them to the SD card. Alternatively, if your Vita is a 3G model, you can use a different adapter called the PSVSD, which replaces the 3G module instead of filling the game cartridge slot.

You don't lose online functionality with a hacked Vita; people have been using hacked Vitas online for years without getting banned. It seems like the only people who do get banned are syncing trophies with a particular subset of pirated games.

This is the definitive guide to hacking a Vita:

Home | Vita Guide

A complete guide to PS Vita (TV) custom firmware, from stock to Ensō.
vita.hacks.guide vita.hacks.guide
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Awesome. I'll try to install Henkaku on my OLED Vita tonight and turn it to PS1/PSP/SNES machine. My vita is on latest firmware 3.7 so need to downgrade it first.
I think I will buy another vita slim for playing vita game (for trophies) since it's easy to buy second hand vita in my country.
Thank you
 

Deleted member 1102

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,295
I got mine off ebay a couple of years ago and honestly don't regret despite the limited Vita library. If you're after games made for the Vita you'll almost assuredly be disappointed. Almost all the made for Vita games I have are just ports of PS2 and PS3 games. In terms of PS1 and PSP games though it's amazing. For a good year or two my Vita was a Final Fantasy machine with 1-9 and Dissidia 012 being all on there.
 
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