PSP, PS Vita and PlayStation Portal: Sony’s Handhelds Explained

Sony is best known for its home consoles, but it has also made several handheld PlayStations. A “handheld” is a gaming device you hold in your hands, with the screen and controls built in, so you can play away from the TV.

This guide covers the three you are most likely to hear about: the PlayStation Portable (PSP), the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita), and today’s PlayStation Portal. As you’ll see, the Portal works quite differently from the other two.

The PlayStation Portable (PSP)

The PSP was Sony’s first handheld console. It launched in Japan in December 2004 and in North America in March 2005.

At the time, it was impressive. It had a wide, bright screen and graphics that were often compared to the PlayStation 2. Its main rival was the Nintendo DS, which launched around the same time.

PSP games came on small optical discs called UMDs (Universal Media Discs). Sony also sold movies on UMD, so you could watch films on the go. Later, many games became available to download from the PlayStation Store.

Some well-known PSP games include:

• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, a huge hit, especially in Japan.
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories.
• God of War: Chains of Olympus.
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
• Patapon and LocoRoco, two charming, creative originals.

The PSP came in several models over the years, including slimmer versions and the PSP Go, which dropped the disc drive entirely. Sony’s official PlayStation history site says more than 80 million PSPs were sold, making it Sony’s most successful handheld by far.

The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita)

The PS Vita was the PSP’s successor. It launched in Japan in December 2011 and in North America and Europe in February 2012.

The Vita was a powerful device for its day. Its features included:

• A sharp OLED touchscreen on the original model. OLED is a display type known for deep blacks and vivid colors.
• A touch-sensitive pad on the back, which some games used for special controls.
• Two analog sticks, the little thumb joysticks found on regular controllers. The PSP had only one.
• Front and rear cameras, plus Wi-Fi, and some models had 3G mobile data.

Games came on small cards rather than discs. The Vita could also use “Remote Play,” a feature that streams games from your home console to the handheld over Wi-Fi. It was especially promoted for playing PS4 games this way.

Well-loved Vita games include Persona 4 Golden, Gravity Rush, Tearaway and Uncharted: Golden Abyss. It also became a favorite home for smaller indie games.

Despite a passionate fan base, the Vita did not sell nearly as well as the PSP, partly because smartphones were taking over casual gaming on the go. Sony has never published a final total for Vita sales. A slimmer model (PCH-2000) arrived in 2013 and 2014, and Sony discontinued the Vita on March 1, 2019.

The PlayStation Portal: a different kind of handheld

The PlayStation Portal launched in November 2023. It looks like a PS5 DualSense controller split in half with an 8-inch screen in the middle.

Here is the key thing beginners should understand: the Portal is not a standalone console. It cannot play games from cartridges or discs, and it doesn’t run games itself. Instead, it streams games over the internet. Sony officially calls it a “remote player.”

It can play games in two ways:

• Remote Play from your PS5: The Portal connects to your PS5 over Wi-Fi and shows the game running on your console. This is great for playing in another room while someone else uses the TV. You need a PS5, but you do not need a PlayStation Plus subscription for Remote Play.
• Cloud streaming: Since November 2025, PlayStation Plus Premium members can stream select PS5 games directly from Sony’s servers, including some digital games they own and titles from the Game Catalog and Classics Catalog. This works even when your PS5 is off or in use.

Sony recommends a broadband connection of at least 5Mbps, and 15Mbps or faster for a better experience. A weak or busy Wi-Fi network will cause lag (a delay between pressing a button and seeing the result) or blurry images.

The Portal includes the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in supported games. In the US, its recommended price rose from $199.99 to $249.99 on April 2, 2026, according to the PlayStation Blog. Prices vary by region and may change.

How the three compare

	PSP	PS Vita	PlayStation Portal
Launched	2004 (Japan)	2011 (Japan)	2023
Plays its own games?	Yes (UMD discs and downloads)	Yes (game cards and downloads)	No, streams only
Needs internet?	No	No	Yes
Still sold new?	No	No	Yes

Can you still play PSP and Vita games?

Used PSP and Vita systems are easy to find second-hand. Sony also includes some PSP games in the PlayStation Plus Premium Classics Catalog, playable on PS4 and PS5. Many Vita favorites, like Persona 4 Golden and Gravity Rush, have also been re-released on other platforms.

The bottom line

The PSP and PS Vita were true portable consoles that played their own games, and both are now retired. The PlayStation Portal is different: it’s a streaming device that lets you play PS5 games on a handheld screen, either from your own PS5 or, with PS Plus Premium, from the cloud. If you already own a PS5 and have strong Wi-Fi, the Portal can be a handy companion. If you want a handheld that plays games on its own, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Featured photo: MiNe / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0