The Vita features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and a powerful PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU, significantly outperforming the PSP's dual-core Allegrex CPU and 166 MHz GPU, delivering console-quality graphics.

The Vita boasts innovative controls including a front touchscreen, rear touch pad, dual analog sticks, and motion sensors, offering a much more versatile and modern input experience than the PSP's single analog stick and traditional buttons.

Both consoles had strong launch lineups and a good selection of games. The PSP had a longer period of robust support, while the Vita's support dwindled after an initial strong period, making them comparable in overall library quality for their respective eras.

The PSP's UMD format was cumbersome but generally reliable. The Vita's proprietary memory cards were not only significantly more expensive than standard cards but also prone to high failure rates, adding substantial cost and frustration.

While the PSP had issues like battery degradation and fragile screens/joysticks, the Vita suffered from widespread stick drift (especially on Slim models) and critical failures of its expensive proprietary memory cards, making its issues more impactful.

The PSP had a more accessible initial price point. The Vita's high launch price combined with the exorbitant cost of its proprietary memory cards made it a much more expensive investment, diminishing its value proposition.