Sony Announces PS Vita Production To End Next Year

Sony’s senior vice president, Hiroyuki Oda, announced earlier today that production for the PS Vita will end next year and that the company has no plans to produce a new handheld device.

Speaking with Famitsu at the 2018 Tokyo Game Show, Oda stated the following:

“Currently, we do not have any plans regarding a new handheld device.”

“In Japan, we will manufacture PlayStation Vita until 2019. From there, shipping will end.”

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Given the increasing popularity of mobile games around the world, it’s easy to see why Sony is taking this decision. Unless your handheld features a healthy selection of exclusive titles, from a consumer perspective, it might be difficult to justify the purchase. You could just as easily get your gaming fix through your mobile phone – a purchase which you’ll be making regardless.

This idea of an extensive library of exclusives is something that defines the 3DS, and helps explain why it has become one of Nintendo’s top selling devices of all time

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. Sadly, the strategy of exclusive titles probably isn’t something that Sony is capable of pulling off. They lack the brand power that Pokémon, Mario, and other Nintendo exclusives carry. Sure, Spiderman, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn are some great games, but it doesn’t seem likely that a significant enough population would buy a handheld device just to play them.

While the PS Vita is easily one of the better devices to have come out in the past 10 years (there’s a reason Trustedreviews nearly gave it a perfect score), Sony is probably making the right move with the halt of its production.

For those of you who don’t own a PS Vita but are interested in buying one, you’ve still got a few more months to get your hands on a new one. Once production stops, the only way to get a Vita will be to buy it used.

 


Featured Image Source: PlaystationLifestyle

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