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There was a time when pre-E3 conversations about the PlayStation Vita carried a whiff of hope. In the 18 months or so immediately following the format's release, we penned several articles explaining what the platform holder could do to reverse the ailing appliance's fortunes. It did, ultimately, introduce a handful of big first-party games: Tearaway, Killzone: Mercenary, and Soul Sacrifice among just a few of the most notable names. But now in its fourth year on the market, any hope of the handheld setting the sales charts alight outside of Japan seems lost, so what role will it play at E3 2015?

Here's the thing about the portable: its install base may be microscopic but its fans are insatiable. We're one of the biggest proponents of the platform on the web, and yet we're still criticised for not giving the console enough coverage. Sony, meanwhile, is similarly chided for leaving the handheld out to dry – despite market realities forcing its hand for the most part. That's not to say that it's blameless where the device's failings are concerned, but a dedicated mobile gaming device was always going to be a tough sell in a world dominated by smartphones and tablets – even if it had secured more custom-built content.

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Recent comments from Andrew House indicated exactly how the organisation sees the appliance these days: a legacy platform. While the company later backtracked on that statement with some vague corporate double-speak, we reckon that it was merely saving face. After all, while the term may look savage on the surface, it's not all that bad: in computing, legacy hardware is essentially an older piece of equipment that requires ongoing support due to its continued use. And the advantage for Vita owners is that, while the days of meaningful first-party support may be over, the device's continued relevance means that it's going to get lots of games.

Here's the thing about the Vita: its install base may be microscopic but its fans are insatiable

A lot of these are coming out of Japan, with the likes of XSEED announcing last week that Senran Kagura Estival Versus will be bounding its way to the West. The support coming from overseas is impressive, and modest budgets are enabling the likes of Danganronpa to flourish on a small install base. Expect many more titles of that type to be on display at E3 2015 next week: Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Corpse Party: Blood Drive, Mighty No. 9 – the nicher releases that don't require multi-million dollar marketing budgets to succeed, but do have a vocal fanbase willing to lap them up.

The interesting disconnect between the press conference viewer and the convention attendee is that, while Sony has failed to mention its diminutive device at many of its media briefings, the handheld continues to occupy enormous amounts of floor space in the organisation's booth. And while there'll be no Freedom Wars or Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines on display this year, we are expecting a swathe of indie titles to take their spot. There's not a day goes by where a new cross-buy release isn't unveiled; today it was the turn of critically acclaimed flesh flinger Super Meat Boy, but last week saw Action Henk and several others added to the mix.

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And this is where the majority of the new Vita announcements are likely to stem from: smaller studios looking to flog their wares on as many formats as possible. The cool thing about these kinds of reveals is that they're a win-win for everyone involved: studios are able to target several systems at once to ensure that they reach a big enough audience to make their investment worthwhile, while portable fans get great games that may not exist otherwise. Shovel Knight, for example, may also be playable on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 – but how many would deny that it truly feels at home in the palm of your hands?

For some this will be a depressing outlook on Sony's most underrated appliance since the Japan-exclusive PocketStation, but it's realistic and it's not all that bad. With a small but rabid audience, the Vita continues to have relevance that belies its humble install base – and while the manufacturer can (and will) be criticised for not bearing more first-party fruits, we reckon that through cross-buy it's found a business model that's keeping the format flush with games. They may not be pushing the hardware Uncharted: Golden Abyss-style, but a lot of these smaller releases feel right at home on the pocketable platform – and at E3 2015, we reckon that you'll see many more of those.


What are you hoping to see for the Vita at E3 2015? Do you reckon that Sony will spotlight the system during its press conference, or will it let its booth do the talking? Are you eager for more than just cross-buy titles, or do you reckon that indie support is the best that we can hope for? Pocket up your opinion in the comments section below.

What kind of Vita reveals are you hoping for at E3 2015? (82 votes)

  1. Give me big-budget blockbusters or give me death34%
  2. I’ll be happy with some nifty-looking indie games13%
  3. The niche Japanese support is what interests me most27%
  4. I’d love to see some more integration with the PS47%
  5. Man, wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a new model?7%
  6. I don’t really care about the Vita at all11%

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