Today, Sony killed the switch on it’s only portable gaming machine: the PS Vita. Back in the 2000s, PSP was the most popular gaming machine with teens. It was handheld, meaning players could take it with them and play on the go. It was also pocket friendly which essentially fit the budget of many people, especially students as well. PSP users would have to purchase Universal Media Discs (UMDs) to play games of their liking.
Soon after the three generations of the PSP, Sony released the PS Vita; it was a reimagined portable gaming machine. It didn’t support the UMDs from the PSP but rather supported its own, new game cards. Also, the company steered users towards purchasing games from its online game store and download it rather than buying physical copies of the same.
Why the PS Vita never took off?
The PS Vita was a great machine in so many ways, a leapfrog compared to the PSP: it included support for touch based input, higher resolution display, improved gaming experience, touch support on the back, and much more. However, in the process, Sony increased the starting price of the device that it could never match the success the PSP tasted.
Nintendo is also a popular gaming device maker, however, its games are of a completely different kind. People who prefered games with more realistic graphics and more action turned towards the PSP whereas the indie community would mostly steer towards the Nintendo. On the other hand, the Playstation that links to the TV was more of an expensive thing, however, at present the scenario has changed completely.
With the rise of smartphone and the PS Vita being priced exorbitantly, the dedicated handheld gaming has almost come to die. Could it have been revived? That’s a difficult question to answer. Nonetheless, Sony has given up on the PSP and is likely to focus solely on the Playstation (that connects to the TV).
