The PS Vita is a tragic story of lost potential and almost seemingly deliberate sabotage, but on the whole, the platform has miraculously trudged on, in spite of Sony’s boneheaded policies that should have killed the system a long time ago.
That changes today- at an investor’s meeting, Sony Computer Entertainment’s Global Head and CEO confirmed that the company is officially retiring the handheld to ‘legacy status’ outside of Japan and Asia, and that it will receive no future support in those territories.
What does this mean? This means that while Sony will probably continue to repair the system, and sell it for as long as stocks last, and support PSN on it for a while, we cannot expect any new Sony projects on it. Period. The system, as far as Sony is concerned, falls in the same category as the PS2 or PSP now.
Some ten year lifetime for all your systems, huh, Sony? The blame for the Vita’s death lies squarely on Sony. They never gave it a chance, and never backed it the way they backed the PS3, the PS4, or even the PSP.
That said, the handheld has a ton of great games on it, so if you can find one for cheap, I recommend getting one. it’s worth it just for Persona 4 Golden and DanganRonpa.
Read more at http://gamingbolt.com/sony-confirms-end-of-ps-vita-support-officially-labels-it-legacy-platform#csIlYYoMV1MFyWfe.99
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Speaking at Sony's 2015 Investor Relations Day, Sony Computer Entertainment's President and Global CEO, Andrew House, called the PlayStation Vita a "legacy platform". Furthermore, Sony's handheld is not part of the company's strategy for fiscal year 2015.
This should come as no surprise given Vita's market performance over the last three years. While Andrew House did indeed acknowledge Japan and Asia as regions where Vita maintains a "strong and vibrant" presence, it hasn't done anywhere near as well elsewhere. His presentation was also aimed at investors whose expectations must be managed accordingly given Sony Computer Entertainment's strategy going forward.
Ever since big PS Vita investments from Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), such as first party exclusive Tearaway, failed to reach sales expectations, it's been increasingly clear where SCEA and SCEE's priorities lie. Especially so now that the PS4 has exceeded Sony's own internal sales expectations and continues to sell at a rapid pace.
They are simply putting their resources to the best possible uses, and given Sony's rather spotty financial situation at current, that makes the most sense as it stands right now.
What does this mean for the Vita to be labelled as a "legacy platform"? Basically, expect to see no more major commitments to it as far as major support and investments go outside of Japan and Asia.
Previously, Sony invested heavily in first party content from its worldwide studios and internal teams, like the aforementioned Tearaway, and others such as Killzone: Mercenary. They also invested in third party exclusives like Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified. Last year, the PS Vita was repositioned as a PS4 peripheral, which didn't lift sales as much as Sony had hoped, hence the write-downs on Vita and PS TV inventory.
Since both efforts were essentially fruitless as far as growing the platform went, expect little else from here on out.
It isn't all doom and gloom though, and the situation could be far, far worse. In the last two or so years, Sony has commendably set the PS Vita up for a long life, massively overhauling its developer policies to welcome independent developers and supplying them with cheap and/or free development kits, which in turn has guaranteed the system a steady stream of quality downloadable titles for years to come.
Meanwhile, bigger titles from Japan will continue to see overseas releases. Sen no Kiseki, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus, Danganronpa: Another Episode and Persona 4: Dancing all Night are four likely or confirmed candidates.
Find the slides and recordings from Sony's Investor Relations Day over here. With thanks to gamesindustry.biz.
http://bitparade.co.uk/article.php?id=3718
That changes today- at an investor’s meeting, Sony Computer Entertainment’s Global Head and CEO confirmed that the company is officially retiring the handheld to ‘legacy status’ outside of Japan and Asia, and that it will receive no future support in those territories.
What does this mean? This means that while Sony will probably continue to repair the system, and sell it for as long as stocks last, and support PSN on it for a while, we cannot expect any new Sony projects on it. Period. The system, as far as Sony is concerned, falls in the same category as the PS2 or PSP now.
Some ten year lifetime for all your systems, huh, Sony? The blame for the Vita’s death lies squarely on Sony. They never gave it a chance, and never backed it the way they backed the PS3, the PS4, or even the PSP.
That said, the handheld has a ton of great games on it, so if you can find one for cheap, I recommend getting one. it’s worth it just for Persona 4 Golden and DanganRonpa.
Read more at http://gamingbolt.com/sony-confirms-end-of-ps-vita-support-officially-labels-it-legacy-platform#csIlYYoMV1MFyWfe.99
-----------------------------
Speaking at Sony's 2015 Investor Relations Day, Sony Computer Entertainment's President and Global CEO, Andrew House, called the PlayStation Vita a "legacy platform". Furthermore, Sony's handheld is not part of the company's strategy for fiscal year 2015.
This should come as no surprise given Vita's market performance over the last three years. While Andrew House did indeed acknowledge Japan and Asia as regions where Vita maintains a "strong and vibrant" presence, it hasn't done anywhere near as well elsewhere. His presentation was also aimed at investors whose expectations must be managed accordingly given Sony Computer Entertainment's strategy going forward.
Ever since big PS Vita investments from Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), such as first party exclusive Tearaway, failed to reach sales expectations, it's been increasingly clear where SCEA and SCEE's priorities lie. Especially so now that the PS4 has exceeded Sony's own internal sales expectations and continues to sell at a rapid pace.
They are simply putting their resources to the best possible uses, and given Sony's rather spotty financial situation at current, that makes the most sense as it stands right now.
What does this mean for the Vita to be labelled as a "legacy platform"? Basically, expect to see no more major commitments to it as far as major support and investments go outside of Japan and Asia.
Previously, Sony invested heavily in first party content from its worldwide studios and internal teams, like the aforementioned Tearaway, and others such as Killzone: Mercenary. They also invested in third party exclusives like Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified. Last year, the PS Vita was repositioned as a PS4 peripheral, which didn't lift sales as much as Sony had hoped, hence the write-downs on Vita and PS TV inventory.
Since both efforts were essentially fruitless as far as growing the platform went, expect little else from here on out.
It isn't all doom and gloom though, and the situation could be far, far worse. In the last two or so years, Sony has commendably set the PS Vita up for a long life, massively overhauling its developer policies to welcome independent developers and supplying them with cheap and/or free development kits, which in turn has guaranteed the system a steady stream of quality downloadable titles for years to come.
Meanwhile, bigger titles from Japan will continue to see overseas releases. Sen no Kiseki, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus, Danganronpa: Another Episode and Persona 4: Dancing all Night are four likely or confirmed candidates.
Find the slides and recordings from Sony's Investor Relations Day over here. With thanks to gamesindustry.biz.
http://bitparade.co.uk/article.php?id=3718
