Common Charging Issues With PS Vita Solved!

The PlayStation Vita represents technology company Sony’s latest foray into handheld gaming entertainment. Although the unit was not as commercially successful as some other competing handheld consoles, it has still developed something of a following in the years since its release. That release started in Japan in 2011, and the console came to other territories the following year.

Although this launch was successful, sales and interest in some of the bigger budget titles began to stall over the next year or so. A concerted effort from fans and investors kept the Vita going strongly enough to warrant continued production for titles up to 2019. Part of the Vita’s appeal is in how it is a small console that can work with games on larger cousins like the PlayStation 4.

With the Vita still having a decent base of fans today, some owners of the console might wonder why it takes so long for their devices to charge. We will cover this subject in our article below. On a related note, we will dive into why some Vita systems seem not to be able to charge at all.

We will also tackle common error issues with low batteries, charging the Vita overnight or leaving it plugged in, and whether gamers can play titles on their Vita systems while they are still charging up.

Why Does My PS Vita Take So Long To Charge?

Even if your PS Vita does make it to a full charge eventually, it may seem like the handheld console has problems taking far too long to charge. There could be a few reasons for this, but we will cover the most likely culprits here.

Two of the most common issues users might face come from the battery itself or the charger they are using.

The PS Vita comes with its own official charger as part of the accessories you get bundled with the system. If that system is new, and if there are no obvious faults with either the device or its charger, everything should be able to charge up in just a few hours.

However, some users might spend over 10 hours trying to get their Vita consoles to take on a full charge. If this is the case for you, it is important to check whether you aren’t using a third-party charger by mistake. The PS Vita’s charger is optimized to work with its battery.

Although there may be third-party chargers out there that are supposed to be compatible with the console, they may not be as effective at getting the battery to a full charge quickly. This means that, while they might work in a pinch, you might be spending a long time between gaming sessions waiting for your PS Vita to get back to a point where you can play it.

If you did start having problems with the original charger, lost it, or it was broken, it is best to invest in an official charger from Sony. This is the only way to be sure that the charger is not the issue.

You should be able to find official chargers for the Vita from authorized retailers on the secondary market. If you are at all unsure, you can check with the Vita community via various forums to see which models they might recommend.

In any case, it is also a good idea to check the charger for signs of physical faults or damage before you attempt to use it. Problems with the charger could harm the battery or the console’s hardware.

On a related note, the charger for the PS Vita has a part that plugs into a power outlet for more reliable charging. If you are using just a USB connection to charge it, the power it gets will be very slow to come.

In fact, if the console is trying to recharge from a dead battery, it may take several hours for it to get enough juice to power on, particularly if you are using a USB charging device. It is best to look for a PS Vita wall charger that you can plug into an outlet.

Why Won’t My PS Vita Charge?

Similar to charging too slowly to be of any use for several hours, there might be times when some players notice that their Vita fails to take on a charge at all. While the factors that govern this problem can be similar to those that go with a slow charge, there are some different things that one would need to check here.

The first thing to do is a visual inspection of the charging port itself. You may not notice anything amiss here at first glance, but it is still possible for dust or debris to enter this area.

Any kinds of obstructions here can make it difficult for the appropriate connections to be made between the charger and the port. You can try blowing or using compressed air here in an effort to clear the port. Plug the charger in again to see if this has fixed the issue for you.

Another common problem with the PS Vita not charging at all might relate to the connections the battery itself makes. Here, the simplest solution may be to remove the battery for a few minutes. After some time, you can put it back in and see if charging commences normally.

It isn’t uncommon for some of these consoles to have issues with charging after a few months or years, and this tip represents a simple solution that you should be able to try without any tinkering.

Otherwise, you should look to see if the port connections for the battery seem bent or damaged in any way.

If there is a visible issue here, it could prevent the energy that the charger produces from getting to the battery. You can try to put the connectors back into their original position to see if anything changes. It is important to be gentle with this process, and you’ll want to ensure that they do not bend further.

How Come My PS Vita Keeps Saying Low Battery?

The ‘Low battery’ message is a common feature that is meant to alert players when the battery starts getting so low that it may not support continued gaming sessions for much longer.

While this might be a welcome addition to the Vita’s functions, some users say that their consoles display this message even when the battery still has at least half of its charge left.

A half-charged battery still has enough energy in it that this message should not display yet, so there is some troubleshooting we will need to do. You can also do some digging and use tips from our article if you find that the message keeps displaying itself intermittently, but particularly when the charge is still high.

This problem can come up if you haven’t used the Vita in a while. If this is the case for you, one of the easiest solutions is to try unplugging the battery cables completely. Leave them unplugged from the unit for at least 30 seconds.

After enough time has elapsed, plug the cables back in, reset the battery, and start the Vita normally.

In most cases, the low battery error message should disappear, only reappearing again when the charge on the battery gets to a particularly low point.

There are also plugins you can use for the Vita that can check the actual health of the battery. This might be a good idea for anyone wondering if their PS Vita battery is starting to go bad.

Does the PS Vita Stop Charging When Full?

Yes, the PS Vita will stop charging the battery once it reaches its full capacity. There are built-in circuits that provide protection against overcharging.

Unless either the battery or the charger have faults somewhere, you should notice no issues with overcharging. Should the Vita feel hot to you after it should be done charging, you may wish to unplug it.

Is It OK To Charge a PS Vita Overnight?

Similar to the above answer, you shouldn’t have any issues leaving the PS Vita to charge overnight. As long as the device is operating within its normal parameters, it should be safe from charging the battery too much.

It is important to remember that the unit may not charge up to its full capacity unless the PS Vita is switched off completely. If it is just in standby mode, it should still receive almost all of its charge, particularly if the battery is new.

Is It Safe To Play the PS Vita While Charging?

Under normal circumstances, it should be safe to play the console while it charges. However, it may take a long time to reach a full charge this way.

Depending on which game you are playing, the battery may even have trouble gaining more charge capacity, although leaving it plugged in should slow or stop the rate at which it drains.

If you think your PS Vita is getting excessively warm while doing both tasks at once, consider giving it a rest and letting it charge before using it further.

Conclusion

The PS Vita is a versatile console that can even work in conjunction with some of Sony’s bigger gaming consoles. It has a decent library of games, and many of these come from passionate, dedicated developers who wanted to see the console do well in sales.

Most PS Vitas should have no issues with charging, but there are a few troubleshooting options available here if you do find that there is a problem with yours.