Since the launch of the PlayStation 4 last year, Sony is dedicated in supporting and furthering their vision with their next-gen hardware. The same cannot be said, however, for the PlayStation Vita, which has remained mysteriously absent for some time.
Although the Vita sold well in the months following release in 2011 (2012 for NA and Europe), the numbers for which have since fluctuated randomly, the questions began at the start of June when Sony left the handhold out of their E3 conference. This is a decision some considered as questionable, considering that the company spent time during their conference on their upcoming show Powers, a move that struck many fans as odd.
Following the Vita’s E3 absence, Sony came out and made comments on its future – which led to more shadows cast on what Sony wants out of it. They started by saying the Vita will receive fewer first-party games, instead relying on indie tiles, backwards compatibility, and PlayStation 4 remote play to fuel the catalog of games. Not a month later, Sony reported “healthy consumer demand” for the Vita, in response to a large number of retailers – online and not – running out of stock. In spite of this claim, June’s NPD numbers showed that the Vita sold less than the original Wii (possibly because of the supply constraints).
Remote play and shared library with the Vita is very handy, but also dependent on the situation (given the choice, how often would you choose your small Vita screen over your TV?)With sales scraping by, retailers receiving limited stock, and very few first-party games, it’s not looking good for the Vita. While Sony has been open about their plans to integrate the Vita into the PlayStation 4 experience, it seems as though their vision come at the sacrifice of the handhold being an independent device. This is a shame, because it really is an incredible device, capable of being judged separately to its bigger, more powerful brother.
Because of this, I feel I have to ask: what is the point of the Vita?
Is it so Sony can provide a strong source of ‘mobile’ gaming to the world? Is it to provide a system focused less on big-budget blockbusters, and instead geared towards the indie scene? Or is it merely to compliment those who already own a PlayStation 4?
The facts that these question exist raises another underlying issue: does Sony have a plan for the Vita? If so, they need to make that clear as soon as possible, or the gamers will be the ones who start dropping support.
