Best Exclusives and Accessories to Buy with a PlayStation Vita Slim

Sony released the PlayStation Vita Slim in the United States on May 6, 2014. This redesigned model, also known as the PCH-2000 series, was thinner and lighter than the original, with a longer battery life and a standard micro-USB port for charging. One of the most significant changes was the screen; the original’s vibrant OLED panel was replaced with an LCD. The initial U.S. release came as a bundle that included an 8 GB memory card and a download voucher for Borderlands 2.

For new owners of the handheld, the next step was building a collection of games and accessories to get the most out of the hardware. From vital storage upgrades to games that defined the platform, certain purchases were essential for the complete Vita experience.

Essential Accessories for the Vita Slim

Getting the right accessories was crucial for protecting the investment and managing a growing game library. Because the Vita Slim had a different physical footprint than the original model, accessories designed for the PCH-1000 series were not compatible.

PlayStation Plus Subscription While not required for online multiplayer on the Vita, a PlayStation Plus subscription was highly recommended. Its primary benefit was the Instant Game Collection, which added new titles every month across the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita. Subscribers could download and play these games at no extra cost and retain access as long as their membership remained active. Over time, this service provided a substantial digital library, making it one of the best values in gaming at the time.

PlayStation Vita Memory Card The Borderlands 2 bundle included an 8 GB memory card, which was a good start but quickly proved insufficient for players who embraced digital downloads or were PlayStation Plus members. The Vita used a proprietary memory card format that was more expensive than standard SD cards. These cards were necessary for storing digital games, DLC, patches, and even save files for many physical titles. Sizes ranged from 4 GB to 32 GB, but the largest available option was a 64 GB card. This model was officially released only in Japan but was region-free, making it a popular import for dedicated Vita owners who needed maximum storage space.

HORI Elite Pack Protective Starter Kit To keep the new handheld safe from scratches and drops, a protective kit was a wise purchase. The HORI Elite Pack Protective Starter Kit was an officially licensed, all-in-one solution tailored for the Slim model’s dimensions. The kit typically included a rigid pouch for safe transport, a clear polycarbonate protector that snapped onto the console’s body for scratch resistance, and a screen filter to protect the display from scuffs and reduce glare. Its official license from Sony ensured a precise fit and quality construction.

Top Exclusive Games for the PlayStation Vita

The Vita’s library included many ports from other consoles, but its exclusive titles were often the most compelling, built from the ground up to utilize the handheld’s unique features like its touch screen, rear touch pad, and cameras. The following games were standout exclusives that had not appeared in the Instant Game Collection as of mid-2014.

5. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita A staple of the PlayStation ecosystem, LittleBigPlanet found a natural home on the Vita. The game’s platforming and creation suite were enhanced by the handheld’s controls. Players could use the front touch screen to directly manipulate objects in the world and, more importantly, to design levels with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. This made building intricate creations easier than with a traditional controller. Beyond its charming story mode, the game offered access to a nearly infinite repository of user-created levels, ensuring it had immense replay value.

4. Killzone: Mercenary As a showcase for the Vita’s capability as a first-person shooter platform, Killzone: Mercenary was unmatched. The system’s dual analog sticks provided precise control expected from the genre, and developer Guerrilla Cambridge delivered a visually stunning experience that pushed the hardware. The campaign put players in the role of a mercenary, taking contracts from both the ISA and Helghast forces, offering a different perspective on the series’ central conflict. Its online multiplayer was also fully featured, with an addictive progression system where earnings from both single-player and multiplayer modes contributed to unlocking new weapons and gear.

3. Ys: Memories of Celceta The Ys series has long been an acclaimed but somewhat overlooked name in action RPGs. Memories of Celceta, a Vita exclusive, was a reimagining of the fourth game in the series. It featured fast-paced, real-time combat where players controlled a party of three and could switch between characters instantly. The core of the game revolved around the amnesiac hero Adol Christin exploring the vast Great Forest of Celceta, filling in a blank map piece by piece. This emphasis on exploration, combined with its fluid combat and engaging story, made it a hidden gem and a must-play for RPG fans.

2. Tearaway Developed by Media Molecule, the creators of LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway was an imaginative platformer designed to use every single one of the Vita’s hardware features. The game world was made entirely of paper, and the player interacted with it in unique ways. You could use the rear touch pad to poke your fingers up through the ground, tap the touch screen to peel back paper layers, shout into the microphone to affect the environment, and use the camera to apply real-world textures to in-game objects. It was a charming and inventive title that could not have existed on any other platform.

1. Persona 4: Golden Widely considered the definitive PlayStation Vita game, Persona 4: Golden is an enhanced remake of the classic PlayStation 2 RPG. The game masterfully blends turn-based dungeon crawling with a high-school social simulation. This version expanded on the original with new story scenarios, two new Social Links, new animated cutscenes, and an extended epilogue. It also added network features that let players see how others spent their days or call for help during battles. With its compelling characters, deep combat system, and dozens of hours of content, Persona 4: Golden was not just the best RPG on the Vita; for many, it was the primary reason to own the console.