You’re thinking is the PSP Vita worth it.  It’s a difficult decision, and costs a medium serious sum of money.  Here I will go through all the reasons to get a PSP Vita, and to not get a PSP Vita.  Note, PSP Vita is also known as the PSP 2.

Reasons To Buy PSP Vita

• Beautiful graphics on a large screen.
• Twin thumb sticks make it potentially great for shooters.
• Few good PSP Vita exclusive games yet.
• Free online.

Once PSP Vita has more games it will be a definite buy.  Once the games prices drop, it will be a definite buy.  Until that point, it is still a questionable purchase.

Reasons To Not Buy PSP Vita

• Expensive games compared to iPad, iPhone and Android.
• Back touchscreen is a useless gimmick.
• PSP Vita takes special Sony memory cards which are very expensive compared to generic versions.
• Apple release a new iPad or iPhone every year.  Sony expects the PSP Vita to last 5 years minimum.  It will become very old and dated very quickly.
• Half the battery life of the iPad/iPhone.  The PSP Vita battery life is just 3-5 hours for gaming, 5 hours for video and 9 hours for music.

I have compared the PSP Vita extensively to the Apple iPad, iPhone and iTouch devices here because that is the main competition for gaming.

Is the PSP 2 worth it?

Now here we are at the end.  Is the PSP Vita worth it?  Should you but one?  That is up to you to decide.  What I will say is buy the PSP Vita only if you are happy to use it for 2 years max before it becomes dated.  After 2 years the graphics of the PSP Vita will look terrible compared to Android and Apple devices of that time point.

The games for the PSP Vita are very expensive compared to Apple and Android devices too.  And there are no apps for anything useful like on the iPhone or ice cream sandwich for Android.  PSP Vita is literally just a gaming and Internet device.

Like my prediction on the 3DS, I think the time of single function gaming devices is over.  Once you have tried an iPad or iPhone or Android device it is difficult to be constrained by the PSP Vitas lack of choices and expensive games.

I would not buy one until average games are under $10 and blockbuster games are under $20.  I would pay $30 for a premium AAA twin stick FPS with online, like a new Call of Duty COD or the next EA Battlefield game.  I do not play indie or casual mom games, and so they are of no interest to my PSP Vita purchase.

In the end, if I buy a PSP Vita it is to play amazing games.  If Sony can make great games I want to play, then I will buy a PSP Vita right this minute.  Until then, hold on the purchase of the PSP Vita.