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.
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.
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)
- Give me big-budget blockbusters or give me death
- I’ll be happy with some nifty-looking indie games
- The niche Japanese support is what interests me most
- I’d love to see some more integration with the PS4
- Man, wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a new model?
- I don’t really care about the Vita at all
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Comments 59
"the PS Vita"
The what?
I just don't care anymore.
I'd almost be surprised if it got more than a token mention about remote play or indies.
I'm not sorry I've got mine, but if anyone wants something other than a wide range of lovely indie titles and JRPG strategy games, I'd probably not recommend it to them at this point.
Oh yeah... but I would add the massive caveat: "It's the only way to play TxK." As far as I'm concerned that should be the Vita's marketing slogan now.
@RawShark Only 'cos Atari's locked Jeff Minter in a cage with his llamas, though.
None of the Above. I'm hoping for good games regardless of indie or big budget. No more "me too" genre re-treading of niche unoriginal JRPGs and Monster Hunter-likes. Just shake something up.
But I get the feeling we'll have Obscure Visual Novel: Heart;;Smile-X, Punch the Clothes Off Hipster Vampires: Super Kawaii Edition, and Freedom Wars: Alpha Kappa+
A paperweight?
Not really interested in any new Vita games since I got my PS4, fill it with PS1 and PS2 games and I'd be quite happy.
I have a playstation tv sitting in my amazon shopping cart. Only thing keeping me from putting down the $39.99for it, is the expectation of a Vita price drop at E3 2015. I really want to try Tearaway and Killzone Mercenaries.
@BertoFlyingFox 9/10 comment.
@get2sammyb Should have just put one word: none. As (sadly) that is the role Vita will play going forward. Role it's played since day one so why do people still expect it to change?
If you think Sony will mention the Vita at E3 you're delusional. This E3 will be nothing but Indies I don't care about and 3rd party games that you can play on Xbox One and PC.
meh tablets and smart phones have killed hand held gaming. Sonys last chance to create a winning handheld and make profit imho is to scrap the stupid name Vita. Sounds like vitasoy milk drink or a vitamin supplement. Return to PSP2 and use tablet sized screens with added vita physical controls. Integrate PSN into Google and let old and new consumers play/link the google play acount and also link to PSN accounts so we can enjoy/purchase/access SONY'S quality gaming library. I'd love one now! it must do everything a zperia tablet does with extra bonus of like I said playing ps1, ps2, psp and ps vita games. Link it out to any tv would be a bonus. Sod remote play. .. waste of turning on two devices. PSP2 reboot plz Sony if u r listening ^_^
If I was to answer honestly I'd like to see a game that pushed the Vita to the edge of its limits (as I felt it still had so much potential) but at this point I know it is just indies and some localised japanese games, I'm content with the situation
but its a legacy system, right?
@bbq_boy Tablet and Smartphone gaming has not and will not kill handheld gaming. That's like saying trucks will kill car sales.
.
There is a market for both.
At this point its hoping for a new portable to fix the problems the Vita faced. It is what it is at this point, better to start fresh.
I think handheld gaming will survive to a limit.....nothing beats tactile controls, and smart phones just fail in the reguard. But I think the future for the market is niche handhelds that are more or less emulation machines, so it will be a small but credible market.......more for small niche hardware manufacturers than the likes of Sony.
Meh I have up on Vita last year. If you don't like indies or jrpgs the system isn't for you.
@WebHead And I love my JRPGs and visual novels on my Vita and I don't expect anything else. Nobody else should either...
@rjejr Dammit xD you beat me to it! xD
Just give me a release date on Tales from the Borderlands. That's all I'm asking. I prefer these TellTale games on Vita.
More Japanese games, if they aren't gonna make any first party games, at least give us Dubs of all those games that linger in Japan :/
But I wouldn't mind a Sequel to Gravity Rush, if they decide to be nice to us Vita owners.
@Alpha - Actually sammyb beat us both to it, thats his reply from a few weeks ago when he was talking about the "Sony PS4 Event" and I asked him about the Vitas role in it.
Well technically his reply was "Whats a Vita?" but I misremembered.
LOL @ some of these non vita owners, even @Punished_Boss_84 likes to sell his vita no matter what he does to hype vita vita games and 3days besides the console ones. He just doesn't want to admit it and want the Vita to fail as well as the Wii u
How very ironic... :/
I would love the Vita ports of Higurashi and Umineko to be localized... re-read my favorite visual novels and earn a platinum in the meantime
@Tasuki There is, but that market is smaller than it once was. Nintendo has Pokemon and Mario so should be fine for now, but they're probably the only ones that can pull it off anymore. Though I suppose some would say the PSP was anomaly and they were only ever the ones that could pull it off in the first place.
I hope they announce a TV out cable for the mystery port on the Vita Legacy System.
I refuse to buy a Vita TV for Video out to a TV when I have a strange feeling that they mystery port on the Vita does this and would support all of the games & not just a subset of them.
That & allow the Vita to be a multiuser system like the PS3 & PS4 (why get a Vita TV for just one profile?)
The ultimate legacy platform with every PS1, PSP, PS2, Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari Jaguar and Sega Megadrive game available. Easy sell.
"yet we're still criticised for not giving the console enough coverage."
I loled at that one
I'm happy with where the Vita is at. Then again, I got it to play niche Japanese games in the first place.
Of course, it's still annoying to see Sony treat it like that crazy aunt that you hide up in the attic.
@get2sammyb You have a very good point. But then again handhelds are Nintendo's thing always have been since the Gameboy. I am sure that yeah the market will get smaller but there are people like me who prefer a dedicated handheld with actual buttons over a tablet or phone just like there are others now who like to game on a tablet or phone over a handheld.
More Japanese games and mores games from the "Tales of" series
"Give me big-budget blockbusters or give me death" is a little hardcore but, I really do wish they'd get back on it. Sadly I've just about lost hope for the little handheld as much as I love mine and play it regularly. Indie games and mobile games just don't cut it for me.
@KAPADO I was ready as well until I remembered I have to buy a 80 euro memory card to even have enough space to download one God of War game.
@AyeHaley Dude...That's exactly what made me stop and not but it yet. The proprietary cards were just a bad idea. I'm washout for the vita to be bundled with a decent sized card.
Take your own advice -Tasuki
@Bleeding_Boss Maybe you need to take your advice.
give us monster hunter
@KratosMD
Fool!
@Tasuki sorry you're right. tablets and smart phones haven't killed dedicated handheld consoles 'yet'. but will a consumer in a years time choose a handheld which only plays games as opposed to a gadget which plays games, surfs net, takes calls, plays music and videos, has access to millions of apps? hardcore gamers will always support as many platforms as possible.... but it's the lack of support from big franchises and developers towards 3ds/ps vita that worries me. nintendo has its mascots and diehard fans... but vita .... where is it's mascots or 'must buy' million game seller? now if a future psp2 was a tablet or phablet phone and I could call, sms, whatsapp, youtube, bbc iplayer, spotify, shop/surf, play clash of clans, candy crush, etc.... and have access to PSN Uncharted, final fantasy 7, persona 4, soul sacrifice, psp/ps one/ps vita library etc I would wet my pants ! !!
I haven't played my Vita in a LONG time. There's literally nothing coming out for it worth a darn, and no hope on the horizon either. RE Revelations 2 will be nice, but the game will have already lost its hype and appeal by the time it ever releases, and when it does let's just hope that it doesn't have texture pop-in and frame rate issues like other ports (Borderlands 2 I'm looking at you).
I just don't care anymore. I'll snatch up any cross buy games from the PS4, and any other PSone/PSP games they decide to release (even that looks like it's come to a halt), and maybe one day in the distant future I'll play some of them. But I don't really hold out for much more than that. I used to be so excited for the system and, all that is gone now
#The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy/Collection for PS Vita
#This is from the players, for the players
Why is this not a thing?!?
Lets make it happen!
I love my vita to death but i could see how the casual cookie cutter average gamer looking for the pop music of video games could be put off by it. Sony could do more to make it "pop" but i like it just the way it is. Ever since i bought it its somehow been keeping me from my new 3ds.
@kyleforrester87 I never would've guessed the PS4 wouldn't be backwards compatible. 😝
I hope to see Gravity Rush 2, but I won't get my hopes up. Frankly I think it is better suited for Vita vs the PS4, since the gravity function would be more fun with it in your hands vs on a big screen.~
A new model, I guess everyone doesn't understand NO model would sell, it's a dead platform when the maker shoots itself in the foot and pulls BIG games from it, is like they never believed in it, why do you think microcrap hasn't done a portable yet, they know that market is already on 🔒 👇
It will serve the role of a butt scratcher.
There's loads of amazing indi games on Vita, but I bought mine for portable big-budget blockbusters dammit!
I love my vita. And have many more games to play. But at e3, at best we may hear about a cheap vita 2000 model coming out.
@bbq_boy thats what I was thinking. Or just a phone that plays like a vita, thats what everyone really wants. (Atleast me)
I love the VITA and let's not forget it still has a higher world wide user base than the WiiU (10.5m vs 9.7m if you put any store in VGChartz)... Terraria is awesome on the VITA and is my fav version. If the new Lego Worlds was to launch on VITA I could see that doing good business if bundled with a mid range mem card.
Contrary to all the doom and gloom threads about the Vita, I still love it and play it daily. I only wish for more blockbuster titles on it, ala Killzone: Mercenary, Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
@bbq_boy I see where your coming from and it makes sense. But I still don't know. I mean I have both a 3DS and a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Maybe if the browser on the 3DS ran better ran like a browser on my Note 4, had alot of the options that my Note 4 has or my Note 4 had physical controls like a 3DS then maybe I would just buy one but I don't see that ever happening main reason being competition. Maybe the NX will change that who knows but honestly the thing that held back the Vita was Sony. They could have done like Nintendo did with the 3DS better marketing, release more 1st party games for it etc. but they didn't and that is what killed it not tablets and smartphones.
Recently I've played on my 3DS XL more than my Vita but that's thanks to corkers like Bravely Default and Fantasy Life.
Very Western views being shown here, as might be expected. Despite its failure in the a West the machine has done OK in Japan and Asia. My question is has it done well enough to warrant another generation of handhelds? I live in hope that Sony do go for Vita 2.0 but with a Japanese focus, the machine could then continue to serve the niche I'm part of which loves the backward compatibility, indie titles, remote play, japanese titles and seems to be the only one craving PS Now on Vita!
Come on Sony, roll the dice again, more conservatively perhaps but do it:-)
Nothing at all...
I wonder if Sony and Nintendo are going to battle it out with a hybrid handheld/home console in the 9th generation.
@Gamestoper I've always been a fan of both, but of Sony mainly for Kingdom Hearts. I just didn't like the direction any of the companies went in the 7th generation with their home consoles, I loved the handheld consoles, though.
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