SONY PlayStation Vita Handheld Game Console Instructions

SONY PlayStation Vita Handheld Game Console

Specifications

• Product Name : PlayStation Vita
• Manufacturer: Sony
• Release Year : 2011
• Emulator: Vita3K
• Accepted ROM Formats : .psvita, .zip (Mai dump format)

Product Usage Instructions

SONY PlayStation Vita Handheld Game Console

To install the BIOS for the PS Vita emulator on Batocera:

1. Download the required PS Vita system modules files from PlayStation’s update server.
2. Transfer the files to Batocera at /userdata/bios/psvita.
3. Launch the Vita3K emulator by pressing [F1] on the system list and go to Applications > vita3k-emu-config.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the firmware by selecting the two copied files in /user data/bios/psvita/.

Game Installation
To install games on the PS Vita emulator:

1. Place your PlayStation Vita ROMs in /userdata/roms/psvita.
2. Launch the Vita3K interface and install the game as a .zip format.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita is a console developed by Sony. It was released in 2011. As of writing, it is the last dedicated handheld console released.

The Vita was the successor to the PlayStation Portable and was backwards compatible with its software, but due to lacking a disc drive it could not play its physical discs (the Vita would use cartridges for its titles instead). The Vita features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore CPU paired with a quad-core SGX543MP GPU. The system, like the PSP before it, had multiple revisions and re-releases, before its eventual discontinuation in 2019. Despite this, it still has a strong following due to its homebrew scene, with software still being developed for it to this day.

• PS Vita emulation is still very experimental and only a few select titles work. Do not expect great performance either.
• Right now, the PS Vita emulator is only available on x86_64 platforms.
• This system scrapes metadata for the “psvita” group(s) and loads the psvita set from the currently selected theme, if available.

Quick reference

• Emulator: Vita3K
• Folder: / userdata/roms/psvita
• Accepted ROM formats: . psvita, .zip (Mai dump format)u

BIOS

Games require the PS Vita’s system modules. These are stored as two files on PlayStation’s update server:

• PS Vita base system software
• PS Vita system update

Once both are downloaded, transfer them to Batocera at /userdata/bios/psvita. Then, on Batocera, press [F1] on the system list and go to Applications → vita3k-emu-config to open the emulator.

• You will need a mouse or trackpad for the initial configuration of the emulator.

• First time you launch this application, you will be asked for the language you want to use. Then, keep the default path that is given to you through the wizard (current emulator path = /userdata/saves/psvita/) and the next screen will ask you to install the firmware.

• Go to File → Install Firmware. Then, select the two files you copied in /userdata/bios/psvita/and install them both. Once this is done, you will see a “V” next to the “Installed” field of each firmware object. If you get stuck in that screen for whatever reason, quit the emulator by hitting
  [ALT]+[F4] and relaunch it from the Applications menu.
  Then you will get to a screen to personalize the interface settings:

• Then you will get to the final screen, congratulations, the hardest part is done!
  Now, you need to create a PSVita user with the next screen:

• Once the user has been created, you can select it automatically for all games by clicking on Automatic User Login.
  Now, you have the main PSVita emulator screen:

• You can quit the emulator (menu File → Exit or [ALT] + [F4])

ROMs

This page is still under construction.

• Place your PlayStation Vita ROMs in /userdata/roms/psvita.

There are multiple ways PS Vita ROMs have been dumped. These are the most popular:

• Mai Dump: Probably the most bootleg approach. Titles have been individually patched to make them bootable. May be missing game data, and for preservation is generally not recommended. Typically come in ZIP or VPK formats, but at this time, only Mai dumps in ZIP format are supported.
• VPK: T he “installer” type of dump. This is somewhat close to the official media release. Mai Dumps may also come in VPK format, but they are not the same.

warning: The only format that has been confirmed working with Vita3K on Batocera are Mai Dumps in ZIP format.

The process for installing games has two steps:

1. Install the game from the Vita3k interface (that can be launched automatically if you open the .zip file). To do so, go to the File menu and install as a .zip format. You will see Vita’s system software (just as you would the original PS Vita) with a new line with the game when it is installed.
2. After the install, you will be requested if you want to delete the .zip file. You can now do it, as the game is now installed in Luserdata/saves/psvita/ux0/app/