The PlayStation Portable was a hit for Sony years ago and it allowed the company to break into the video game mobile market that was honestly taken control by Nintendo for a long time. At the time, players could get an overall beefier portable gaming experience when compared to the Nintendo DS and it wasn’t very long after that Nintendo brought out its successor, the 3DS. This portable console was able to deliver a wide range of new features and video game titles that quickly gathered the attention of gamers worldwide. When it came to Sony, their PSP successor, the PlayStation Vita, was not the success they had hoped for.
Again, Sony delivered a portable console that improved on some of the complaints from the PSP such as adding a second analog joystick. Likewise, it came with an improvement with hardware which allowed for better-looking titles. As then system came out the big triple AAA titles for the platform followed. However, it didn’t take very long for Sony to see that this system wasn’t getting the same amount of attention as they did for the PSP.
Instead of the big name triple AAA video game releases for the platform, there was a shift to make the system more of an indie platform. Even then, the 3DS rose above with big title support from Nintendo and indie titles making it the more appealing portable handheld. While the system is certainly up there in terms of hardware age, it was a system that Sony didn’t have any big problems when it started to take down production across different markets. While most markets have taken care of the remaining stock, Japan still had production running full speed.
Today we’re finding out that their production is now ending. Currently, there are only two models being produced and sold within Japan and that’s the PCH-2000 ZA11, or otherwise known as the standard Black model along with the PCH-2000 ZA23, an Aqua Blue variant. Both of these units are now being shown as ending soon on Sony’s website. Likewise, it looks like Sony has any no plans for a successor to the PlayStation Vita. However, with the success that Nintendo is having with their latest console hybrid, the Nintendo Switch, perhaps this could lead Sony to reconsider their position with a standalone mobile platform.
[Source: Eurogamer]
