Although Sony made computers in the 1980s exclusively for the Japanese market, the company withdrew from the computer business around the beginning of the 1990s. Sony's re-entry into the global computer market, under the new Vaio brand, began in 1996 with the PCV series of desktops—the PCV-90 was designed with a 3D graphical interface as a novelty for new users. The first generation of Vaio laptop computers was released in 1997 and the US$2,000 PCG-505 model was designed to be "SuperSlim," and was housed in a four-panel magnesium body.

Sony Vaio's latest designs were released during a period of low PC sales and included models with innovations such as magnetized stands and the Vaio Tap, which was designed with a completely separate keyboard. The latest models were complemented by the Windows 8 operating system.

On February 4, 2014, Sony announced that it will sell its Vaio PC business due to poor sales and Japanese company Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) will purchase the Vaio brand, with the deal finalized by the end of March 2014.However, in a news release on the Sony Global website, published on February 5, the corporations states: "Sony continues to address various options for the PC business, but Sony has no further comments."On February 6, 2014, Sony signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with JIP for the sale of its Vaio PC business.