Since the PlayStation Vita was launched in 2011 in Japan and in 2012 for the rest of the world, it has been the little engine that could withstand the lackluster performance in terms of sales and has been a fantastic platform for niche games. During a Q&A session at EGX, Shushei Yoshida stated Sony is not planning to create a successor to the PlayStation Vita due to the current climate of handheld gaming, especially with the dominance of smartphones taking up more market share. He said the following statements when the question of a new Sony handheld was brought up:
I myself am a huge fan of PlayStation Vita and we worked really hard on designing every aspect. Touch-based games are fun – there are many games with really good design. But having sticks and buttons make things totally different.
“So I hope, like many of you, that this culture of playing portable games continues but the climate is not healthy for now because of the huge dominance of mobile gaming.”
The PlayStation Vita has not been the most successful handheld outside of Japan with many places dedicating only a small shelf space to Vita products and games. Third parties have been able to keep the Vita alive overseas, but several games being released for the system are also being released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 and some games that were once exclusive to the Vita have been ported over to the PlayStation 4 in an effort to reintroduce the games to a wider audience.
If you want to watch the Q&A Session, the video is below for your convenience.
Do you agree the current handheld climate is not healthy enough for a new Sony handheld device? or do you disagree with Yoshida and believe the climate is ripe for a successor to the Vita? Do you think there is still a good market for a new Sony handheld device? Leave us your comments below.
