VGChartz's Adam Cartwright: "When Sony entered the world of handheld gaming in 2004, it provided a new opportunity for developers to chase a different market than had existed before. Over the next decade we saw multiple companies, from both western and eastern shores, shift their pipelines to focus on providing software for both the PlayStation Portable and its successor the PlayStation Vita. Despite the latter’s relatively weak hardware sales, there were still successes to be found on the console, which meant that it was easy to plan a future around being a Vita developer.
By 2014, though, it had become clear that Sony was no longer interested in pursuing the handheld market and this left a number of companies in difficulty – they’d either need to adapt to the shifting times, or face dying out altogether. In this article, I’m aiming to look at what happened to developers who made both the PSP and Vita their main focus, how they adapted to the demise of Sony handhelds, what future plans they made, and how well they’re doing in the current gaming market."
Why didn't the PS Vita get more love again?
Not sure if the Nomad and Express should be on this list. Meaning that while they were portable, they didn't have their own games and instead relied on the same games the console hardware used. Neo Geo pocket, Lynx, Vita... those are dedicated handhelds with their own software library.
If criteria is simply to just allow for handheld gaming then the supaboy should be on there as well.
While that is true, Nomad was an amazing handheld which I greatly enjoyed, and holds a special place in my heart.
I would definitely include it in this list.
I remember connecting it to my tv and playing Vector Man and Comix Zone and I was astounded by the fact that this was a handheld device
The Nomad should have never been made, that big cartridge on the back. Sega was throwing out money. I thought the Lynx was solid. I never knew about the Turbo express though
DS: Hacking a PS Vita has never been so easy.
Why is this news if sony doesnt want it get out of the way and let modders make games for it. There are people still making games for sega dreamcast and genesis if you abandon something dont be a ahole when someone else tries to support it. Thats like some deadbeat dad coming back after 20 years and yelling at the man that raised him thats my son leave him alone lol.
I've avoided CFW because I am afraid of being banned and also was unsure how trophies would work with syncing, and then Sony constantly patches these.
I installed CFW ages ago, spoofed the firmware number, blocked official updates, and even made purchases from PSN after. Sony really doesn't care what you do with hardware they no longer support.
Come to think of, idk if I care about emulation or homebrew anymore on it. I just want to play vita games.
Can confirm, Sony doesn't give a crap lol. As long as you're not hacking trophies, you can legitimately download games and play them online, no problem. I've had mine hacked for years.
They won't see you have trophies on a digital only game you have not purchased, and ban you?
In August, online servers for several PlayStation games will shut down, leaving their multiplayer functions unplayable.
whrere on earth is the next killzone, im soooOOO thirsty for some proper weighted, (but still fast when running/sprinting) fps gamplay, it felt sooso so good on ps3, with that, lets be honest, very small, quite uncomfortable sixaxis dualshock controller, that was just too small for western sized hands, ok for japanese kids i suppose was the point>??
now with PS5 controller, it would be totally masterfull.
I hear you. I want some NEW Killzone, especially on PS5, with the PS5 DualSense controller with that ever so impressive DualSense of an experience Haptic feedback!
Knowing how far Guerrilla has come since Horizon: Zero Dawn, Killzone can only benefit greatly from their ever growing talent!!
I think Sony has given up on their exclusive shooters. They haven't released a remaster for the Resistance series or a new SOCOM game either. I don't think Guerilla is in a rush to make Killzone since they have Horizon now too :(.
All I want is for them to build Killzone 2 with multiplayer included from the ground up, keep the gameplay the same, and I'll be happy.
GG with KZ3 and Shafowfall haven't been able to match KZ2 so I don't really have faith in another sequel.
Unfortunate that KZ2 came out during COD era where every game that didn't pay like Modern Warfare was deemed garbage. KZ2's multiplayer is definitely an all time great.
I'd love KZ2 multiplayer again. I also think they could easily incorporate a mode to compete with Battlefield style game modes
KZ2 was one of maybe a handful of games I actually put time into online. What a blast!! And the campaign was excellent as well. I certainly miss that dark world. Still ashamed I never buttoned up that Platinum.
A remake of Killzone 2 with the same grittiness and feel on PS5 would be f*cking incredible. The SP and MP were just perfect. I played the sh*t out of that game. Would happily pay a lot of money for that.
Honestly, I don't like FPS games. They're not for me, but I do agree that there was something about KZ2 multiplayer that even someone like me enjoyed.
Sony really needs to get better about tearing down servers. I don't like that they shut them down.
@Michiel1989
"since when was kz2 deemed garbage?"
As with anything, things don't get the appreciation it deserves until way after it's release.
KZ2 got a lot of flak for it's weighty controls that many mistook for input lag. People didn't like that it wasn't a twitch shooter like CoD. You also had people saying things like "it feels like you're controlling a midget", "enemies take too long to die" (you can't pray and spray in kz2. You have to shoot in bursts for your shots to be more accurate), people complained about the sniping, etc.
This led to a lot of changes in KZ3 that turned the vets off like reducing the amount of variables for bullet damage, getting rid of spawn grenades, etc.
@DarXyde
I don't think there's much Sony or any other company in that position can do much different about it... Keeping servers running simply cost money, these gomes don't generate none anymore, so eventually they need to pull the plug.
KZ2 was definitely better then KZ3, but the third one still had strong suits. It’s been many years but I remember something about Shadow Fall being made by a team at GG that did NOT do KZ2 and KZ3 multiplayer which is why it felt different. I remember when I found that out it made a lot of sense about Shadow Falls multiplayer feeling so off.
Horizon zero dawn sold more copies than all of the killzone franchise combined including spin offs on handheld. I guess that's the reason why won't see killzone from guerilla soon. There is at least one more mainline horizon coming out and their second team is working on horizon VR I believe. So it's gonna be a while unless another studio takes over.
I've been playing a lot of Killzone 2 on rpcs3 with a duelsense combined with the ability to remap controls to a modern standard and bump the game to 60fps it shows that we really need a remaster to probably the best killzone game to date although shadowfall technically beats it in the graphics department art style was so different that they are incomparable
Killzone went to the same place as Socom and Mag, more money in 25 hour single player games with no servers to maintain. Socom was literally the reason I bought a PS2, Resistance FOM the reason I bought a PS3, all gone now.
Killzone has never been weighted correctly, the jumping never worked.
A new properly-weighted shooter in the Killzone series would be great. More like Killzone 1 and 2 than SF.
I think the issue comes from the fact that the Helghast side is sympathetic while looking like Nazi stormtroopers. The Trump age has led artists to avoid this look entirely.
The sixaxis felt fine in my hands since they're small, but the ps5 really made me feel the difference. So ergonomic.
Killzone 2 was/is so good and it still looks good today. The multiplayer was fun as well. If they make a new Killzone I hope it is the style of Killzone 2.
I wish Sony didn’t abandon Resistance and Killzone. Those are some of my favorite series on PlayStation. If they’re not gonna make anymore, then maybe a remastered collection of each could be negotiated.
KILLZONE 2 was my reason for buying a PS3. If a new KILLZONE or RESISTANCE was coming out in 22 I would try to buy a PS5 immediately.
SSOD2 would be big for Sony. The only reason they would be interested in it is if they can turn it into a live service game.
In which I can see that happening.
For anyone trying to understand @Lightning77’s comment, they had a typo, this should clarify:
SOD2
Superoxide dismutase 2, mitochondrial, also known as manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase, is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the SOD2 gene on chromosome 6.
After 5 killzone games including portable Sony felt it needed a break I wouldn't say its abandoned however I believe we may randomly get a ps5 remaster with improved lighting to test the waters and eventually a full blown new game after all you can't just leave shadowfall on that ending
Horizon is priority now its a mega franchise for them maybe after Horizon they might revisit.
I refuse to play for online play but there is one game that would make pay for it and that's Resistance Fall of Man. That's the only game that would make me throw my principles out of the window without feeling ashamed of myself.
Remember in the mid 2000’s when nearly every developer started to do FPS or linear third person? Now nearly every developer wants to do open world exclusively because it’s the easiest type of game to leave things out and then expand upon the world with DLC.
So many fond memories of both Shadowfall and Mercenaries Vita online! Shadowfall's SP may have been weak, but the MP was still a ton of fun. I had a lot of time in both, and it's especially tough seeing the Vita's best mp experience get shut down.
RIP my old friends.
In my opinion, I thought the single player games was really decent too and was treated quite harshly by the critics, but then, I think the Killzone franchise as a whole was kinda under rated by the critics. I always enjoyed the story in these games and I liked the slower, more deliberate gunplay too.
I remember getting my PS4 on day 1 and the first game I installed was Killzone Shadowfall, my workmates and I would play it for hours on end, the mode whish switched between game modes was brilliant.
The moved to the Switch from Vita. Some of the exact same games or similar games from those developers. Loved the Vita and glad to see those devs still have a platform to release lesser budget fun games.