Game Rant Writes "Sony penetrated the portable gaming scene with the PlayStation Portable and PS Vita, but it failed to topple Nintendo's dominance in the market."
Because mobile took off and it wasn't lucrative for them. Only Nintendo can still make handhelds and succeed. Maybe now we can throw in Steam Deck because it's basically a portable pc.
the Vita came out at the wrong period. it was during the intense battle between the PS3 and 360 when Sony didn't have the dominance they had during the PS2 era. they had to choose one platform to support and that was a no brainer decision that they had to choose the PS3 over the Vita. by the time they regained their dominance with the PS4, mobile resurgence had happened and Nintendo was already beyond their reach. it was because Nintendo was losing the console market with the Wii U so they put their major focus on the 3DS. So, while Sony had their console dominance by focusing more on the PS4, Nintendo had the handheld dominance by focusing on the 3DS while basically letting the Wii U dry and eventually died.
the 2 markets are too different at the time, thus focusing on both was not sustainable. I am gutted that the Vita didn't get the support it deserves but I can totally understand why it happened and I have enjoyed it while it lasted.
But nintendo has kinda stopped with the handheld. They have the switch which takes both ideas and meshes them. They currently dont have a dedicated handheld.
So then from your take they've stopped doing main home consoles. Regardless of how you look at it they've combined both features. Pretty slick of them.
Oh. Yea thats true but its simply a Nintendo switch without the docking power. Completely forgot about that thing since its the same console but inferior in every way.
Shame that they won’t try again. Steam deck has equivalent horsepower to a PS4 so Sony could technically actually produce a portable PS4 that runs your PS4 library as well as vita and ps classics. Huge ready to go game library from day one. Would be amazing.
But at what cost to produce? Also people would inevitably want new experiences to play on the new handheld. I think the Steam Deck is a niche product due to its pricing but the fact that it can play pc games and can be used as a very capable emulator is a major selling point. Sony doe not have that caveat in the handheld space and should focus on their consoles. Their strategy as far as handheld gaming is characterised by the release of the cellphone controller and places an emphasis on remote play and streaming.
People would probably be very happy with a large library of digital PS4 games when you move into custom experiences for the handheld you end up with a ton of spin off games which have a fraction of the budget that the console version sees like need for speed underground rivals comes to mind
I have a Steam Deck, and what you say is true, but I also think you kind of outlined why it wouldn't really work for Sony: existing PS4 libraries.
There would be a ton of people who would just want to play their existing libraries, but not likely buy any - or few - new games for it. That would mean they couldn't price it low with subsidization, so it would be an expensive device. I can't imagine too many people (mass market wise) willing to spend PS5 money for a portable PS4 if given the choice.
But then you've got the issue of people who already own games on disc that would then be unavailable for play on the go unless bought again. I've got a nice PS4 library, but most are discs so I'd have little to play that wouldn't require repurchasing. On Steam, all games I've purchased or redeemed are digital, so there's no issue with accounting for discs.
I think phones have mostly killed the dedicated handheld market, sadly. There's a market for it, but definitely is going to be a harder and harder to convince younger generations to splash out big money with expensive games when they've been accustomed to already having a phone with game prices that are either free, or tend to cost in the $1-5 range.
i think ... because its not feasible to do so anymore. we want new things, better things, more resolution, more framerates etc etc.
i think a handheld would hold back the library. especially since ppl already want ps5 native games and leave the ps4 behind.
it worked for Nintendo, because they're always getting a pass when it comes to power and how their games look, but it wouldnt work for ms or sony anymore.
a handheld from sony, would be a step back i think.
Why would Sony put out another handheld when they stopped supporting the Vita with first party games within 3 years into the Vita's life cycle. Sony just needs to continue to making home consoles & developing great games.
ppl say the vita storage was expensive but switch games are 30 dollars more expensive. Zelda is still full price.
I cant believe how stupid people were in bashing the vita - thats why it failed. Sony also dropped the ball as they do with anything not their main console.
Sony backed off due to increased competition from mobile devices and beloved their handheld system would quickly become dated which didn't happen mobile games peaked shortly after the vita launch but never really got any better for many years.
They also moved into the vr space as a companion to home consoles which would allow them to get involved in vr before it took off.
With the PS4 firing on all cylinders and trying to get the vr market moving I doubt there was room for a vita successor. Vr may have not sold all that well but the attach rate was the best they had ever seen which is likely what encouraged them to pursue vr2
Sony put a fairly substantial effort into the Vita at launch with a host of exclusives. Uncharted, Wipeout, Hot Shots Golf, Gravity Rush, etc. it was clear early on that the general public that had bought into the PSP was now disinterested in another portable game system when they now had that gleaming new smartphone in their pockets. The smartphone killed the Vita. End of story.
Nintendo was able hold on because they clung to a younger demographic since, at that time, smartphones were not yet in a “no child left behind” mindset.
It was just a bad time to launch another portable piece of hardware when all everyone above the age of 12 wanted was an iPhone or Android.
Sony had to decide whether to focus on console or portable because they can't provide PSV and PS4 with AAA contents at the same time, not enough resources i think, or to make PS4 content was much more profitable.
Nintendo can provide Wii(U) and (3)DS with contents because the nature of the games on both system are low specs but not for long. Eventually they make one hybrid system now.
Mobile gaming is just to big now, and people won't want to switch to another hand held for gaming if their phone more than cable of it. Exception of the Switch most people are going to use their phone. Still have the original Vita with OLED, sure be nice if Sony didn't abandon it so damn quickly but their focus is on PS5 and VR now for gaming, I'm fine with that.
Because mobile took off and it wasn't lucrative for them. Only Nintendo can still make handhelds and succeed. Maybe now we can throw in Steam Deck because it's basically a portable pc.
Shame that they won’t try again. Steam deck has equivalent horsepower to a PS4 so Sony could technically actually produce a portable PS4 that runs your PS4 library as well as vita and ps classics. Huge ready to go game library from day one. Would be amazing.
Easy why push another failure when you have the playstation 5?
Still got my OLED Vita. Awesome little handheld! Started grabbing a few games for it recently. God of war collection on there is pretty sweet.
i think ... because its not feasible to do so anymore. we want new things, better things, more resolution, more framerates etc etc.
i think a handheld would hold back the library. especially since ppl already want ps5 native games and leave the ps4 behind.
it worked for Nintendo, because they're always getting a pass when it comes to power and how their games look, but it wouldnt work for ms or sony anymore.
a handheld from sony, would be a step back i think.