The PS Vita is Officially Dead
Sony’s one and only handheld gaming system is, after eight years of being a laughingstock in the gaming industry, dead at last. The PlayStation Vita is often considered to be a failure in every sense of the word. Many people have forgotten about the Vita, leaving their own to collect dust on a shelf in the back of their bedroom or left to rot in a Gamestop display case. The Vita has been made obsolete in more recent years, but the production of the system has come to a silent halt, leaving the system to be but a distant memory in the history of the gaming industry.
The PS Vita is a handheld gaming system released in 2011, acting as a successor to the extremely popular PSP (PlayStation Portable). The console has basic controller functions, such as the four main buttons, two input sticks, a D-Pad, and trigger buttons, making it a fully-fledged gaming system that can be played anywhere. What makes the Vita unique is the touchpad on the back side of the system, allowing the player to access special controls for extra abilities and increased immersion. The system also has internet access, a cartridge slot for games, and a variety of applications that make the PS Vita a rather versatile device. Since the PS Vita seems so advanced, what made it fail as badly as it did?
Saleswise, the PS Vita is considered to be a commercial failure. According to Engadget, the Nintendo DS has sold eighty million units in its lifetime, and the Nintendo 3DS has sold seventy-two million units. They also confirm that the PS Vita has sold a mere sixteen million units, which is pathetic compared to its predecessor, the PSP, which Engadget says sold seventy million units by the time the PS Vita was released. Why did the PS Vita fail? Some of the main factors that led to the system’s unfortunate fate, determined by Goliath, are simple: Sony failing to correctly advertise the system properly is the primary issue, as their lack of care towards the system allowed consumers to forget about it entirely. Another reason is AAA games (games made for the system by Sony themselves) decreased in quality over the years, giving players less incentive to purchase the system in its later years. The final blow for the PS Vita was the mess that was PS4 Remote Play. PS4 Remote Play is a service that allows players to access their PlayStation 4 console from anywhere and play any downloaded games or whatever game disc was in the system. This innovative service seemed like an amazing opportunity, but it did not work correctly. In order to even attempt to access your PS4 you must be connected to an extremely strong Wifi connection, and even then there would be extreme lag and delay, and sometimes, connection was entirely lost. The PS Vita was, ultimately, doomed from the start.
On March 2, 2019, Sony announced that production of the PS Vita system had been ended. This demise had been known of for a long time, as Polygon says that a Sony executive announced in 2018 that “the manufacturing and shipping of all versions of the device would end this year.” On the surface of the gaming community, it appeared like nobody had genuinely cared that the handheld would soon fade out of existence. Deeper down, however, millions of players were devastated and disappointed at the news, some gamers even sharing their favorite memories of their PS Vita experiences. I was one of those gamers disappointed by the news, although expected and understandable.
The headlines stating that the production of the system has ended broke my heart, as I am a proud owner of a PlayStation Vita. I got my Vita as a Christmas present in 2017, and I have loved every game that I have played so far. Although many consumers look down on the system, I absolutely love mine. The list of recognizable games may be small, but what games there are give the system a breath of fresh air that I have never experienced before. Titles such as Borderlands 2 (Which I am currently playing through in anticipation of its recently-revealed sequel), Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Little Big Planet have left me in an entranced state in which I do not want to put the system down. Although the game library is small, the variety of games is astounding. Wipeout 2048 is a fun, fast-paced, futuristic racing game. Borderlands 2 is a First-Person-Shooter adventure game set in a wasteland full of enemies, weapons, amazing towns and cities, and lovable characters. If you want to play your average fighting game, Injustice 2: Gods Among Us uses all of the most popular DC Superheroes and Supervillains in a legendary fighting game that was even given a sequel due to its popularity. The PS Vita is a system that, although unpopular, is far from useless or unworthy of being purchased. Sadly, many consumers and Sony themselves do not feel the same way.
The PS Vita is, although it is a commercial failure, an amazing system, or at least I believe so. The diverse game library makes the system worthwhile, giving gamers memories and experiences never seen before. The PS Vita may be gone, but its legacy will continue for years to come. For years, players will continue to enjoy what games they have on their system. I for one refuse to give up on my system, because like one of its televised commercials states, “the world is in play.”