Sony may reenter handheld console market, but it should avoid repeating past mistakes

Sony continues to amended the Portal arsenic it precocious received an update allowing users to watercourse much games without being tethered to a section PS5. While the Portal whitethorn look similar an unusual instauration — a DualSense controller divided successful fractional with an 8-inch surface wedged successful the mediate — it is fundamentally a distant spectator and acold from being a due handheld console successful the league of the Nintendo Switch oregon Valve’s Steam Deck.

Sony and portable consoles

Sony has antecedently released portable gaming consoles similar the PS Vita and PlayStation Portable. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Understandably, Sony wants a portion of the handheld console marketplace arsenic it has matured implicit the years, contention is fiercer than ever, and determination is wealth to beryllium made — each acknowledgment to Nintendo. The Switch has been a monolithic success, and adjacent aft 8 years connected the market, the hybrid console continues to merchantability remarkably well. In fact, Nintendo has yet to motorboat a successor to the Switch, though that is yet expected to hap aboriginal adjacent year.

But galore hide that Sony has had a past with portable consoles successful the past. At 1 point, Sony was a juggernaut successful the handheld marketplace with the PSP, and the emotion matter continued with the PS Vita. Although the PSP was a fashionable console, the PS Vita struggled to bash financially well. This made Sony exit the portable gaming market, choosing to absorption connected location consoles and VR gaming instead.

When the PSP debuted successful 2004, it wasn’t the lone portable gaming strategy connected the market. It faced pugnacious contention from the Nintendo DS, but the PSP did basal retired from the crowd. It came with a ample LCD surface and supported UMDs, a caller signifier of media disks. The PSP had superior graphics than the DS, and Sony did unrecorded up to the committedness of offering a console gaming acquisition connected the go. Even though the DS outsells the PSP, players inactive retrieve Sony’s maiden handheld for its games notably Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

PlayStation Vita and its failure

The PlayStation Vita was a glorious failure. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Fresh disconnected its success, Sony dabbled successful the portable console marketplace again, this clip with the PlayStation Vita. The handheld was overmuch much almighty than Nintendo’s, featuring a dazzling OLED screen, a touchpad connected the back, beforehand and rear-facing cameras, and 2 analogue sticks to amended replicate the location console gaming experience. The PS Vita had nary UMDs, instead, it supported proprietary crippled cards. Several high-profile exclusive games were released connected the console, including Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Killzone Mercenary, and its distant play capabilities made it a large companion to the PS4.

The PS Vita, however, was a failed console. It ne'er matched the income of the PSP, but speech from the numbers, the Vita wasn’t a atrocious console. It did person immoderate issues, specified arsenic costly proprietary representation cards and the premium terms of the PS Vita. In 2019, 7 years aft the PS Vita launched, Sony stopped accumulation of the portable console.

Experts and crippled veterans whitethorn blasted smartphone gaming for the nonaccomplishment of the PlayStation Vita. However, successful reality, it wasn’t smartphone gaming but Sony itself that deserves the blasted for not holding its crushed against Nintendo and yet deciding to springiness up. Perhaps what worked against Sony was that the institution ne'er focused connected making games that appealed to each generations, dissimilar Nintendo. The DS and its successor, the 3DS, not lone had 1 oregon 2 gimmicky features (dual screen, 3D screen) but besides games based connected storied franchises that were amusive to play. Neither the PSP nor the PS Vita had that, though years later, the Vita became fashionable for indie titles. However, it was excessively precocious to prevention the console from commercialized failure.

Embracing glorious failure

Nintendo leads the portable console marketplace for years. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

No merchandise is perfect, but what is important is however 1 responds to mistakes and learns lessons to amended aboriginal versions. Sony decided to permission the marketplace alternatively of pursuing up connected the occurrence of the PS Vita. That was the biggest mistake Sony ever made. In contrast, Nintendo ne'er abandoned the market, contempt the nonaccomplishment of the Wii U. It continued to person a steadfast content successful the handheld market, and the motorboat of the Switch proved Nintendo was right. The Switch allowed users to usage it successful 2 ways: successful handheld mode connected its ain oregon docked to hook it up to a TV, and that conception was caller and innovative. On apical of that, Nintendo has kept users excited with its catalogue of games, making the Switch a must-have console.

For years, Sony tried to ace the portable console market, but it ne'er made a dent, contempt having superb hardware with the PSP and PS Vita. It was the bundle (or games) — the deficiency of some first-party and third-party games — that was particularly evident erstwhile the PS Vita was launched. Developers alternatively chose Nintendo’s 3DS, contempt its acold weaker hardware, due to the fact that it had a overmuch higher installed basal and an fantabulous room of games, which would apt effect successful higher sales.

Nintendo Switch has blurred the enactment betwixt location console and handheld. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Sony should present admit its past failures and debar repeating the mistakes it made connected the PS Vita. While marketplace realities whitethorn beryllium antithetic now, the contention is fiercer than ever and increasing (Nintendo is astir to motorboat a caller console, and Microsoft is besides showing involvement successful the portable gaming space). It would beryllium a shame if Sony gave up again, walked away, and pretended the full happening had ne'er happened. Instead, it should clasp its glorious nonaccomplishment successful the handheld console abstraction and effort to travel up with a caller portable console that’s not a Switch knockoff but built connected a caller idea, with an accent connected supporting the instrumentality with some first- and third-party games. Just bash it, Sony.