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Is a Vita worth it mainly to play PSone games?

F

freeofgreed

Member
So I'm thinking about getting a Vita, but I am really on the fence about it and am hoping maybe Gaf can push me on either side. I want to use it primarily for playing PSone classics, however there are a few PSP games and Vita games that I'd also like to play. Basically here's where I am at.

Pros
-I'd be able to play PSP and Vita games.
-I wouldn't have to worry about deleting things from my PS3 to make space for the games I want to download.
-Vita's PSX emulator is better than the PS3s
-I slightly prefer gaming on a handheld over a console

Cons
-I already have a PS3
-It would be pretty expensive, especially for something I'm not even sure I want (If I do get one I'd go for the OLED model which is more expensive than the slim).
-I can live without playing the PSP/Vita games as the main games I want to play are the PSX games.
-After I finish the games I have on my list i don't know if I'd have much use for it as there's almost nothing on the horizon that I'm looking forward too, and the ones that I am I doubt would even get localized.
 
I would say yes.....amazing how playable some older games play with suspend and in short 5min bursts on a portable. There are also a bunch of other nonPS1 games as well that are great fun.

If you are patient I would wait until there is a definitive L2/R2 solution, especially if you just want to play PS1 primarily.
 
wanders said:
I guess you can always get a PSP GO instead of you're just looking to play PS1
Click to expand...

Naw, a PSP or PSTV wouldn't be worth it to me as they lack a lot of the benefits a Vita would give me and wouldn't really offer me much more than what I can get with my PS3.
 
I'm thinking about buying one cheap off craigslist strictly to play Chrono Cross and Minecraft.

Try as I might though I can't find any other titles on it that are worth purchasing :/

KOTOR 1 and 2, Jade Empire, or Timespilitters seem like such a perfect fit for the console and would cause me to buy one immediately..
 
Vita is my favourite way to play PS1 games, except it only has two shoulder buttons and the other two are mapped to the touch screen or rear touch pad. That hasn't really been a problem for me though. I'm sure there's some game out there that uses all four shoulder buttons, but I haven't played it.
 
While there's a graphical edge to playing on Vita, the back touch screen always messed me up and I could never figure out how to turn it off. Was always hitting it by mistake. But there might be an easy solution I overlooked, and I'm sure someone will correct me if that's the case.
 
Roto13 said:
Vita is my favourite way to play PS1 games, except it only has two shoulder buttons and the other two are mapped to the touch screen or rear touch pad. That hasn't really been a problem for me though. I'm sure there's some game out there that uses all four shoulder buttons, but I haven't played it.
Click to expand...

I map a lot of L2/R2 functions to the right stick. Works great for weapon select in Twisted Metal/etc. The ability to map anything to anything is great.

Whatever you do, turn the bi-linear filter off.
 
One plus is being able to map the D-pad onto the Vita's analog nub. So much more comfortable playing Xenogears, FF VII, Alundra, Wild Arms 1&2, and others using that instead of the D-pad.
 
Lol guys I don't want a PSP. It's either a Vita or I just use my PS3. I've already thought about the alternatives and they don't appeal to me at all.
 
You shouldn't obsess over getting the OLED one. I have both and while I also prefer the screen, the slim is better in every other aspect. The screen is only noticeable side by side.

To answer your question, a Vita is always worth it! For PS1 games it will be much better than your PS3 due to suspend and resume. The games also won't be super ugly because of the small screen.
The PS3 offers L2/R2 buttons and is able to play discs. Multiple accounts on PS3 can also be helpful if you want japanese PS1 games or so.

Elsewise, the Vita is much better.
 
freeofgreed said:
Lol guys I don't want a PSP. It's either a Vita or I just use my PS3. I've already thought about the alternatives and they don't appeal to me at all.
Click to expand...

Yes get a Vita. I use it primarily for playing indies and PS1 games and have a blast. There are also plenty of good PSP and Vita games in general.
 
If PSP is outside of the question, definitely. There were plenty of PSX classics I played on Vita that I had missed out on. Worked just fine. Just don't stretch the 4:3 screen into widescreen please. Also, there are a great many Vita games you should play.
 
sn00zer said:
Yes get a Vita. I use it primarily for playing indies and PS1 games and have a blast. There are also plenty of good PSP and Vita games in general.
Click to expand...
this, you may buy a vita for classics, but end up having a ton of games just because of Plus.

Oh, not forget to mention, the Vita's library is fucking alley.
 
Hell yes it is, especially if you go for a JP account.
The JP PSN store has lots of PSX and PC Engine classics to play on it.
 
If you're looking to get a Vita, the used prices for the OLED model is about the same as the LCD model. So I'd say around $120.
 
Yes. And PSP.

If you never had either device, you can survive on that catalog alone for years, probably.

If that was the device's only purpose it would still be worth the money.

And, just a personal recommendation, I think the Slim is a supremely superior model. People foam at the mouth over the OLED, but the slim has more accurate color, better volume, better battery, and is brighter. People like the metal frame of the OLED model, though. You might too.

But pick the one that appeals to you. Vita means life.
 
Vita is great, but a little pricey. Though you can find them used for a pretty good price if you don't mind craigslist. Sometimes Cowboom.com has some killer deals on them.

If the Vita/PSP catalog isn't a big draw, and mobile over TV isn't a huge preference, it would be hard to justify a brand new OG Vita.
 
Have you bought all the games you want to play already? Do you think you'll get a decent amount of mileage out of the system from the games? You could always sell the system when you're done with it.
 
If you have disposable income and prefer handheld gaming, I don't see why not.

The PS plus games are nice, too, even if that's not what's motivating you. Some quality exclusives and access to good PSP games are there, as well. Lots of excellent games if you are new to the platform.

For PSOne exclusively, I guess it depends on how much you prefer handheld gaming. I haven't done much comparison with the emulator itself. Load times for Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI are terrible either way, but they're known for that. I guess you could avoid some input lag, potentially.
 
It's the only reason to own one, in my opinion. It's all I use it for, and it works great. Go for it.
 
I love playing PSone games on my Vita because I wasn't a Playstation gamer in the PS1/2 era. I was all about N64 and the Dreamcast/Xbox. So for me, who missed all these classic games, getting to experience them on a handheld is great. Also, Vita has lots of great games regardless.
 
I grin every time someone opens a thread asking if vita is worth for a certain feature alone, because these people usually buy vita(for the wrong reasons imo) but in the end they stay for the games.
 
The Vita is simply the best place to play PS1 games. The games look great even in the stretched widescreen, and especially on the OLED. It has filtering options and robust custom control configurations, even saving those settings on a game-by-game basis. And of course, it's portable. If you ever wanted to play those games on the big screen, you can transfer your progress to console with ease.

Most of the PS1 games that were ever worth playing are available on the store, and a few that aren't (like Parappa and Ape Escape) can be downloaded as PSP games. Just note that you can't download the Crash and Spyro trilogies for whatever reason. I was lucky enough to download them during that glitch whitelisting last year, but I doubt we'll see them up legitimately in the near future.
 
I have one and I play PSX games on it and I prefer playing them on the vita vs the PS3. There are also a lot of vita/psp games that I enjoy playing so I would say yes.
 
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