Did Mobile Gaming Destroy the Portable Handheld?
If you were looking forward to an update for Sony’s portable gaming device, you may not want to hold your breath. Word has come down that Sony currently has no plans for a follow-up device to its popular PlayStation Vita handheld system—and it looks like we only have our phones to blame.
The Vita was initially released worldwide in 2012, and it continues to perform well in its native Japan despite slowdown in other markets. Unfortunately, a dedicated home base simply isn’t enough to warrant the company’s continued support of the system.
Sony has gone on record lamenting that these are truly the last days of the Playstation Vita, a perfectly capable handheld gaming device with plenty of power and a great gaming library that couldn’t save it. This isn’t the Nokia N-Gage we’re talking about here. The Vita was a solid device that worked well, had good graphics and everything going for it. However, lackluster support from its parent company combined with a mobile market that’s grown too big to be ignored (or competed with) spelled doom for the hearty handheld.
Much of the blame can be attributed not to any faults of the Vita itself but instead to the continuing shift in gameplay and how consumers are relying on mobile devices for handheld gaming experiences.
An article from PC Mag reports that PC gaming has been on the decline with younger audiences for years and has experienced a 22 percent decrease since 2013. “The largest and most surprising shift in the 2015 gaming ecosystem was kids’ move away from the computer,” analyst Liam Callahan said in the article. This move has prompted big responses not only from Sony, but Nintendo too, which finally caved and agreed that it would begin developing titles for mobile devices.
Eurogamer reports that Sony has confirmed it has no plans for a new handheld device given the status current market. Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, spoke to a panel at EGX 2015, noting that the crowded marketplace and growth of smartphones has made the Vita a less than viable option. “People have mobile phones and it’s so easy to play games on smartphones, and many games on smartphones are free, or free to start,” Yoshida said. “So I hope, like many of you, that this culture of playing portable games continues but the climate is not healthy for now because of the huge dominance of mobile gaming.”
The difficulty of attempting to compete with a seemingly unstoppable mobile juggernaut isn’t just affecting Sony; many other companies are adopting their own “if you can’t beat them, join them” policies when it comes to dealing with the new mobile market. The variety of mobile games at Gala Bingo’s online platform also reflects the shifted focus toward mobile gaming with iOS and Android offerings. The site hosts licensed variations and fresh takes on classic games that were once only available in parlors and casinos. A study from Gaming Intelligence found that the mobile market has been key to the business, making up more than a fifth of the company’s total net revenue for 2015.
With new and better games becoming available each day for more powerful and more affordable devices, it’s only becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to justify purchasing a separate device purely for the sake of gaming. Mourn for the Vita, and pray for the 3DS.