Skip to main content

Don’t expect Sony to ever make another handheld PlayStation

Sony PlayStation Vita Slim review front screen angle
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Nintendo’s Switch console proved to the world that there’s still hope for portable gaming devices, but Sony’s PlayStation Vita failed to find the same success, and now exists as a niche platform for indie and Japanese titles. And according to Sony, it could be the last handheld system the company ever makes.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Andrew House said that there wasn’t “a huge market opportunity” for handheld gaming in regions other than Asia.

As many others have stated in the past, House believes that smartphones have largely replaced handheld gaming devices, and we’ve seen several games on the PlayStation Vita eventually coming to phones, as well. Moreover, games like Tearaway and Gravity Rush have eventually made their way to PlayStation 4, though they’ve needed to cut Vita-specific features in order to function.

Back in 2015, Sony said that it had “no titles in development” for the PlayStation Vita, and was instead focusing its efforts on the PlayStation 4, and now, PlayStation VR.

The Vita’s sluggish sales numbers weren’t caused by its games’ quality, however. At launch the excellent Uncharted: Golden Abyss was available, as was a great version of Rayman Origins. In 2013, Killzone: Mercenary was also released, giving first-person shooter fans bite-sized campaign levels as well as a surprisingly great competitive multiplayer component. Over the last few years, PlayStation Plus subscribers have received most of the system’s best games for free, so if you haven’t picked up the Vita yet, you could have a fully-stocked library without ever having to purchase a game.

Sony also has no plan to offer a “hybrid” gaming device like the Nintendo Switch, instead choosing to stick with the more traditional console model.

“The folks at Nintendo have their strategy and that’s great,” House added. “We remain focused around a highly connected gaming experience and also coupled with having a great range of other entertainment experiences so you can reach multiple people in the big screen in the household.”

In recent months, the PlayStation 4 has been dethroned by the Switch as the best-selling console in the United States. Previously, the system had been the top seller almost every month, only occasionally falling behind the Xbox One.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Sony’s latest partnership is a big move for PlayStation’s mobile future
A PS5 sits on a table.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) revealed its next big gaming partnership, and it's with a somewhat unexpected company. The game developer and publisher in question is NCSoft, a Korean company best known for its work on MMO series, namely Guild Wars and Lineage.

According to a press release, the two companies have entered into a partnership that enables them to "collaborate in various global business fields, including mobile." We asked Sony if the phrasing of "various global business fields" also applied to console games, but a representative for the company said it doesn't have anything else to share on that front currently.

Read more
Sony’s new PlayStation earbuds are a perfect match — for my Nintendo Switch
Sony's Pulse Explore earbuds sit next to a Nintendo Switch OLED.

If you’re the kind of PlayStation loyalist who buys every add-on Sony puts out, 2023 may have been a pricey year for you. We’ve gotten the DualSense Edge, PlayStation VR2, a brand new PS5 model, and the PlayStation Portal -- but that’s not all. Sony is refreshing its audio offerings on top of all that, starting with the Pulse Explore next month.

Sony’s new wireless earbuds are built with PlayStation devices in mind. They use a new PlayStation Link connection system, which is built to easily pair them with the PlayStation 5. That tech actually replaces Bluetooth entirely on the new PlayStation Portal, which means that the Pulse Explore will be one of the only ways to get wireless audio on the handheld this year. It’s a sign that Sony is getting more aggressive about building a dedicated PlayStation ecosystem, Apple-style. It doesn’t just want you to buy Sony consoles, but all of the black-and-white accessories that go with them too.

Read more
Don’t ignore Spider-Man 2’s side missions. They’re the best parts of the game
Miles checking his phone in spider-man 2.

With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 out, you might be tempted to devour Insomniac’s new superhero adventure as fast as possible like a hungry Venom. I wouldn’t blame you. The sequel’s sprawling story is a complicated web of threads that beg to be untangled. It’s tempting to zoom from mission to mission, ignoring all other side activities until New York City has been properly saved from Kraven’s wrath.

If you find yourself in that boat, consider this a PSA: Don’t skip out on Spider-Man 2’s side missions. Though they aren’t as glitzy as the main campaign, the sequel’s best moments are consistently tucked away in quieter quests that emphasize compassion and community support over comic book violence. They’re the moments that best illustrate what it truly means to be a superhero.
Community support
Just like the previous two Spider-Man games, Insomniac’s open-world take on New York City is filled with optional storylines. Early on, Peter and Miles can stop to clean up a mess left by Sandman or take up jobs as local photographers. These aren’t just empty checklists to complete; even something as simple as collecting every Spider-bot in town leads to some kind of narrative payoff that’s usually worth seeing through to the end (especially since a 100% completion only takes around 35 hours).

Read more