Consoles Gaming Hardware

What do the coloured lights on the PlayStation Vita mean?

PlayStation Vita
Vita signs: find out what those lights mean

Although a good few years old, the PlayStation Vita is still a capable, portable console. With the power of the PlayStation 3 and with a screen larger and higher resolution than its Nintendo equivalent, it’s a shame that this may also be Sony’s last handheld.

But, if you have one, you’ll know the PS button can display a number of different colours to show the current status. But what do those colours mean?

Solid blue

The system is on (including when power is being supplied).

Blinks blue

The system is entering standby mode.

Blinks slowly in blue

There are new notifications, such as a new message has arrived.

Blinks quickly in blue

Known as the “Blue Flashing Light of Death” (or BFLOD), this indicates a system error has occurred. Hold down the power button for 10-15 seconds until the light stops flashing. The system should reboot, after which you will be presented with the PlayStation Vita recovery menu – use the options here to try and resolve the problem.

Solid orange

The system is charging, either in standby mode or when the system is turned off.

Blinks orange

The system is charging, but the battery charge is too low to turn on the system. In this case, wait until the PS button lights up solid orange.

NOW READ THIS: What does the light on the PlayStation 4 indicate?

About the author

David Artiss

Works for Automattic Inc., the company behind WordPress.com and Tumblr. Tech geek, international speaker and occasional PC Pro podcaster. Lover of Lego and video games.

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  • Doesn’t this only apply to the Original PlayStation Vita? Because the PlayStation Vita Slim doesn’t have a blue light, except for notifications.