Opinion #1
Should Sony return to putting gaming directly into player hands?
With Sony U-turning last month on the decision to close the PS Vita and PS3 digital storefronts (PSP’s is still on the chopping block), we only narrowly avoided true console death. I can’t keep my head in the sands of Bot Beach any longer, especially when, at its best, the console had my head in the clouds.
That closure came so close stings. Vita is the most recent Sony handheld console, and a generation ahead of PS3/PSP. It lives a little longer, but without support for the system it’s a dead device walking. But with Nintendo’s Switch and Xbox’s pivot to device-agnostic xCloud streaming, it’s weird of PlayStation to leave that Vita-shaped hole in its lineup. PS5 might offer many people the best place to play their games, sitting down on the sofa, but most of us don’t just want to play games at home.
I’ve put in hundreds of hours on my Vita, mostly due to travelling – its size makes it perfect for shoving into hand luggage.
REMOTE CONTROL
If you’re part of the niche crowd, you might have tried the PS Remote Play app. It’s a new version of an app that’s existed since PS4 (and worked with PS Vita), connecting over the internet to your PS5 or PS4, allowing you to stream it to your phone.
It’s an imperfect solution, though, and misses what was special about the now-defunct digital darling.
Going from big screen to little screen is something PS Vita almost got right. Via PS TV, Vita’s memory card could be popped between devices, and the original dev kits even featured a HDMI out, almost beating Nintendo Switch to the punch. If consumer models had had that function, you have to wonder if the current console generation would look rather different.
But, as great as games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss were, small-screen versions of blockbusters weren’t what hooked Vita veterans. The handheld was perfect for games designed to be smaller in scope, and was the place to play exciting indies in 2012. You could count on Vita players to know what indies you should keep an eye on. While there are PS5 indies that work best on that console (like The Pathless and Bugsnax), many smaller ideas feel best in the hands. Games like Velocity 2X or Rogue Legacy lose some of their magic when you need to sit down in the front room for a dedicated play session. Vita was also perfect for short-burst, longform gaming: visual novel detective games like Danganronpa, or lengthy JRPGS like Persona 4: Golden. Those who struggled to get through Persona 5’s 100-hour narrative may have found it easier if they could more easily slot it into smaller form.
Most of the hits came from third-party publishers, many small developers who could only publish digitally, and now won’t be able to sell their games. Sony has never seemed sure how to approach its handheld systems, leaving them feeling like awkward half-steps. But it should take the same approach as it did with PS5, which was built by asking developers what they wanted from a new console. If Sony ever makes a new handheld, it’s worth asking the developers who were making Vita sing for its fans what they want.
Vita players knew what indies you should keep an eye on.