Why did the PS Vita failed?

In the era of mobile games and hybrid systems like the Nintendo Switch, it’s easy to forget that there once was an era of dedicated handheld. Though many companies took part in that particular race, in the twilight years of that bygone age there were two main competitors vying for the attention of their clients – Sony and Nintendo.

Two generations ago, the Nintendo DS and the PSP went head to head, with both systems being extremely successful. And though the DS ended up being the clear victor – it was even one of the most successful systems of all time, regardless of format – the PSP still left a lasting impression as a breath of fresh air.

The same cannot be said for the previous generation, however. While the 3DS had a rocky start, it made a spectacular comeback with some incredibly memorable titles. The Vita, on the other hand, seems to have been shoved under the rug, ultimately losing the handheld battle without even putting up much of a fight. Why did that even happen, though? With its huge screen, gorgeous HD capabilities, and an interesting array of features, it seemed like the Vita was poised for success. So what exactly went wrong here?

High costs

The PS Vita fell in a weird niche that didn’t appear needed filling. It promised high-end AAA games in the palm of your hand, but it turned out there was little overlap between those markets. As a result, games for a small system required a lot of financial investment, and those investments simply weren’t paying off.

Poor support for older games

The PS Vita seems to have been a perfect opportunity to bring PS2 classics to a handheld. The PSP did exactly that to PS1 games, and it was one of the biggest sells of those systems. Unfortunately, the Vita never tapped into its full potential. Games from the PS2 library were never brought to the Vita’s online store, and what remasters the Vita did get were very janky and poorly optimized for the system.

Very few unique games

Let’s face it – if you even bought a PS Vita, you probably bought it for Persona 4 Golden. There have been actually very few worthwhile releases on PS Vita that weren’t available on other systems. Of course, more niche genres, such as visual novels, thrived on the Vita, but the fact of the matter is that there were very few motivating mainstream audiences to get one.

The rise of the mobile market

The fact that the mobile market became much more prominent in this era is definitely a factor as well. The 3DS felt that too but managed to make a quick recovery thanks to a price drop. Speaking of that…

It lost to the 3DS

The 3DS had every bit as rocky a start as the PS Vita, but it managed to win back the crowd. Not only was it less expensive to make games for, the device saw a quick price drop that greatly expanded its user base. What followed was a boom in 3DS sales, all of which were boosted by the fact that the 3DS simply had a ton of high-quality games for it that weren’t available anywhere else. All this could have also been avoided for the PS Vita – but alas…

Little support on Sony’s part

It’s quite bizarre, but it looks like the final nail in the coffin was the lack of support for the Vita on Sony’s part. They rarely showcased it on any events, and there were many games in Japan that were available on the Vita, among other systems, but didn’t make it to the system upon localization. Sony didn’t really believe in the Vita’s success after its difficult start, but instead of turning things around, they simply abandoned it. To this day, the Vita remains a curious relic – a well of lost potential, signaling the end of an era.