The PS Vita is like the indies it hosts: small but full of enormous possibility.

In 2012, the PlayStation Vita was unleashed upon the world to a strong launch, selling 1.2 million units worldwide. Publishers and developers, big and small alike, all wanted to get in on this portable powerhouse, producing almost console-quality experiences, such as the likes of Gravity Rush, Little Big Planet, Persona 4 Golden, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, Killzone: Mercenary, Rayman Legends, and even an Uncharted installment.

A longtime PSP owner, I was amped for the next generation of PlayStation portability. In the beginning, the adventures I undertook with my PS Vita were terrific. The PS Vita gave me hope that a quality high-end gaming was heading to my pocket. Sure, at the time you had the Nintendo 3DS, but I’d become tired of playing the same games on a new system. No, I wanted to play my PS3 games on the go, and that’s what the Vita gave me.

So why is the PS Vita still the best place to play indie games then, if I keep mentioning triple-As?

Well, the PS Vita, with the help of PlayStation Plus and its user-friendly store, introduced me to a world of games I may not have found otherwise. These ranged from 2D side-scrollers like Shovel Knight, and the electric Sound Shapes, to Spelunky, and Rogue Legacy – “endless” games perfect for quick-dip play.

The size and portability of the PS Vita allowed me to take it anywhere, and my saves came with me, soldiering on with a five-hour battery life. It fit perfectly into my life. Waiting for a doctor’s appointment I would simply tap into the gruesome Hotline Miami, or be a hero luchador in Guacamelee! between classes. It wasn’t even the heavy-hitter games that filled my free time on the PS Vita, it was the indies with their easy-to-jump-into levels and innovation with relatively limited hardware features that kept my thumbs tapping.