The Playstation Vita is a powerful bit of kit. In fact I’ve recently been playing through Borderlands 2 on my handheld and it is serving me well on my commute to work. It may not translate perfectly for Sony’s Playstation Vita, I’ve always found shooters quite tough to navigate with the smaller analogue sticks. There’s also the frame-rate drop that occurs occasionally throughout gameplay. However all of this is forgiven, because I’m getting the experience of playing an AAA title like Borderlands 2 on the train.
But will we be seeing more huge titles on the powerful little handheld device? Borderlands 2 proves that it is possible to port a large console game successfully, albeit with a few small niggling issues. Don Mesa, Sony Computer Entertainment’s product planning and platform software innovation director has recently stated that: “The economics simply don’t work with the traditional process. We have to do something different to get AAA games on Vita.” Of course remote play does allow Vita users to stream PS4 titles to their handheld device, and with the emergence of PS Now gamers will be able to stream PS3 games as well. So in a sense you can play blockbuster titles with the right network environment.
Without developers releasing Triple-A titles on the Vita it may fall by the wayside, due to gamers not adopting the handheld. However as a Vita user myself I do wonder if it needs huge titles, in it’s own right it is a great bit of kit and a great extension to the Playstation 4. It also has a vast amount of unique indie titles that are fun on the move (Hotline Miami and Limbo both spring to mind) and it has a number of interesting ports on the horizon. Child of Light and Don’t Starve: Giant Edition are to releases that I’m sure will translate well on the smaller screen. These aren’t huge titles but both will be perfect for the Vita and truth be told, the only AAA titles I’ve played on the Vita are FFX HD, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and the aforementioned Borderlands 2, most of my Vita time is taken up by smaller titles such as Hotline Miami, Limbo or Muramasa Rebirth.
The thing about the Vita is Playstation Plus is frankly fantastic for it, you could probably get by each month just by playing the free downloadable games. Last month I didn’t put down Muramasa Rebirth, but that’s the thing, you have solid blockbuster titles. Maybe not many but they’re there, but if you look deep down you have a wealth of games from new releases to older Playstation One games. Unfortunately consumers only seem to look at the games on display, but the Vita is all about the digital releases.
Some more big exclusive titles would be nice, but does it really need them. There’s a wealth of superb content on the Vita that more people need to be made aware of. So I say long live the Playstation Vita with or without AAA titles.
