I bought my PS Vita when the console was already in its death throes. Killzone: Mercenary and Tearaway had just launched, and I was eagerly playing through the Vita’s backlog, not realizing Sony had zero intention of releasing anything further on the handheld. Still, it was the perfect companion for my work commute (console-like games on the go!) until Hearthstone came along and started dominating my train time.
The Vita soon went into a box under the bed, to be forgotten for a decade. But after moving house recently, I found my dusty Vita and charged it back up, intending to have a quick browse of my old trophies before throwing it on Facebook Marketplace. Instead, I’ve fallen in love all over again – and found myself despairing for Sony’s all-digital future.
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PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, whether you care about physical games or not
The most immediately striking thing about the Vita is how good it feels in your hands; smaller and lighter than a Switch or Steam Deck, yet sturdy, sleek, and stylish (I remember it being bigger, but back then we didn’t all have Pro Max XL phones in our pockets).
It has modern features, like a sleep mode that resumes your game exactly where you left off – rediscovering my PS3 put into perspective how wonderful the quick resume feature really is. And, most importantly, it has a decent selection of games I’ve been eagerly playing, from Resistance: Burning Skies to Uncharted: Golden Abyss and LittleBigPlanet.
However, those exclusives are only a minor part of the story. What makes the Vita really great is its back catalogue of the best PSP games and PS1 games, its handful of PS2 ports, plus the many indie games that continued to release far beyond when Sony stopped giving a shit.
I currently have Silent Hill, Monster Hunter: Freedom, Ratchet & Clank, the Sly Cooper trilogy, God of War, Rayman, and the first three Metal Gear Solids all downloaded. I know a few of these are on other modern consoles, but I can’t fit a Switch in my pocket when getting the bus into town.
It is an absolute tragedy, then, that anyone who buys a second-hand Vita next year will never have access to most of these games. The majority of the PS Vita’s indie releases and all of its PSP and PS1 releases are digital-only, and Sony’s about to close down the digital store for good. In other words, half the reason to own a Vita is ceasing to be legally obtainable.
In fact, I would argue the Vita is losing out on more functionality than any other console would if its digital store closed down. Well, that is any other console currently on the marketplace…
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There are physical options out there for Vita, PSP, and PS3 games. The same will never be said about an all-digital PS6.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely aware that Sony will no longer release games on physical discs from 2028 onwards.
The likelihood is therefore that the PS6 will be digital only, which means there will be no way to lend games to your friends or sell them on the second-hand marketplace. It brings to mind a bleak hypothetical scenario: If the PS6 were to only have a single Sony-led digital store, your console would never play a new game again should Sony shut it down. You’d be left with your catalogue of purchased games, as long as the publisher continued to permit them being redownloaded. If not, anyone who might buy a PS6 in this scenario after the digital store’s closure would never be able to play a game on the console at all.
Right now, I’m trying not to spend all my money on digital PSP and PS1 games for my Vita, because I know that in a few months, I’ll be stuck with what I’ve already got. This is ignoring the thriving Vita jailbreaking scene, which should not have to be relied upon to play games. Yet, thankfully, there are physical options out there for Vita, PSP, and PS3 games on original hardware. The same will never be said about an all-digital PS6.
To not have that option – for games not to be preserved on a disc, for them not to be available to future PS6 owners after Sony stops caring and closes the digital store – should be a terrifying prospect for gamers. To paraphrase and re-frame an old PS Vita ad, the world is absolutely no longer in play.
If you think that’s overdramatic, look once more to the Vita. The digital store’s closure comes almost exactly 15 years after the Vita’s release. Does that mean we should expect the PS6 to have a 15-year shelf life? At least PCs have open ecosystems, with older games getting support from GOG and various retro enthusiasts so they can live on.
The Vita shows that there’s no guarantee Sony will keep its next console functional any longer. But at least, with the Vita, I can guarantee that in another 10 years, when I slot in my old Tearaway cartridge, I will be able to play that game – no online store required.
Check out the best PS Vita games ever if you’re itching to get back to physical gaming.