A New PlayStation Vita? The Ridiculously Stupid E3 Rumours Have Begun

I think you should cover every stupid rumour that comes along. It's far more pleasing reading those with the signature dryness of the Push Square staff than every other site that takes them seriously

honestly if they actually supported it and don't overcharge for memory cards and the like i would be down with a Vita 2 or a PSP2

I think PS must be populated by very close minded thinkers to so easily blow off the idea of a brand new portable console.

How old is the Vita now? About 5 1/2 years. Here's THIS WEEKS Japan's hardware sales chart.

Hardware Sales

Switch – 26,114 (24,712)
New 3DS LL – 13,922 (13,643)
PlayStation 4 – 12,235 (12,334)
PlayStation 4 Pro – 4,989 (4,961)
PlayStation Vita – 4,088 (4,114)
2DS – 2,732 (2,862)
New 3DS – 1,406 (1,021)
PlayStation 3 – 327 (325)
Wii U – 184 (157)
Xbox One – 103 (149)

The way-old-by-technology-standards Vita is neck and neck w/ the PS4 Pro. Should Sony stop making home consoles b/c the new Pro isn't selling any better than the Vita?

Now, calling a new system Vita 2 I'll agree is a stupid idea, but if Sony plans on staying relevant in the Japanese market they NEED a handheld console of some type. Tablet, phone, console, something. Millennials dont' even have TV's to hook up consoles too, they consume everything on their handhelds.

Know how to easily sell a Vita 2 the world over? Very easily sell one. HDMI mini out. (Or it could be Mini HDMI out, you get the idea).

Sony has PS Vue, PS Now, PS+. How can they NOT have a portable device for people to consume all of that content on? They really dont' even need to make games for it. Make a Vita 2 w/ HDMI out, standard Micro-SD cards at a standard price, give it an "app store", let it stream PS4 games.

As for games, it only needs to be as powerful as a Switch, which I think we can agree is not as powerful as a PS4, as it can get a bunch of 3rd party and indy support.

Take the innards of a Switch, drop the Rumble Joycon nonsense, put it on the PS ecosystem - think Hackintosh - and you have yourself a winner.

I really don't understand how a Sony dedicated website can so easily pooh-pooh the idea of Sony making a new handheld, they made the completely inept PSPgo for crying out loud.

Not saying any of these rumours are true or 1 will show up this year, but if Sony wants to remain a technology company and a gaming company they need a portable device, b/c the whole world is going portable. The future is in everyone's pocket, Sony NEEDS to be there too.

Pre-ordered already

Unlikely, but would buy day one. Vita remains an excellent console and is still capable of pushing out technologically impressive games. One of my favourite consoles of all time because it fits in beautifully with my lifestyle; be it commuting to work, or picking up my game when my wife wants to watch tv.

For a certain type of gamer, particularly those that like jrpg's and niche releases, the vita remains essential. The attach rate also remains incredibly high which is why new games continue to be released.

If Sony could release a portable device that operates offline in a similar way to switch, there is no reason it couldnt be a huge success. Sony just need to stop making stupid decisions like extortionately priced memory cards, locking profiles to one memory card etc.

@get2sammyb Have you seen the numbers Nintendo handhelds do? They're VERY successful devices. Nintendo clearly made the Switch a hybrid to unify their development resources on one common platform instead of giving up on home console game development entirely. I fully expect a cheaper handheld-only SKU later on (and maybe a PSTV-esque home console SKU for NA).

I think the Switch will be successful enough that Nintendo will go with the hybrid model from now on, but even if they hadn't opted for this model, they'd drop their home console line long before they'd stop making dedicated handhelds.

With that said, I don't see why Sony would risk losing money on another portable device when they're killing the home console market like they are. Especially after abandoning the Vita when it was clear that the device wasn't catching on with the mainstream. For better or for worse, Nintendo will always massacre Sony on the portable console front, especially now that Nintendo systems are the ones getting Monster Hunter games.

I mean, I would be ALL OVER a PS4 hybrid device. I would play my PS4 games so much more often than I do now. But it won't happen.

Can't wait for Sony vs Capcom vs Activision vs Hello Kitty to be unveiled. I totes saw a blurry screenshot on Neogaf about it!!!

I'd totally buy that, playing your PS4 games anywhere with better share play than the Vita, certainly is get more use out of it than I did my Switch

I just couldn't see this being successful. I don't think there is a need for Sony to try and compete in the handheld market. Nintendo essentially has two on the market at the moment (the 3DS isn't going anywhere for some time), and the Switch is off to a fairly strong start. Sony is best off focusing on their current platforms, including VR.

@Ralizah The 3DS hasn't had anywhere near the same success as the DS, though. It's undeniably a shrinking market, which is partly the reasoning behind the Switch.

I'd buy one. A non-nonsense handheld. No rear touch but with same control options like a DS4, I'd be all over it.

I don't think sony want to make another handheld, playstation bread and butter is story heavy AAA games like uncharted and horizon, 3rd party online shooter game like battlefield, cod, and destiny, those type of games can't be played on handheld, there just isn't enough power to do that.

Also portable system market is shrinking, from nds 154M to 3ds 64M, psp 80M to psvita 15M.

@get2sammyb "Dedicated portable gaming devices are so dead ... a system with a dock."

I'm pretty sure by changing the word "devices" to "system" in that sentence you are being pedantic. What Nintnedo did was create a "portable gaming device" w/ a dock. They didn't diminish it by removing the word "dedicated", which is all you did, remove the word dedicated, they improved the "portable gaming device" by giving it TV out, in some cases w/ a higher frame rate and or resolution.

Did any of those rumours use the phrase "dedicated portable gaming device" or did they just say, like you wrote up, "portable console"? There's a difference. Nobody w/ half a brain cell would use "dedicated gaming", not w/ Netflix, Spotify, Facebook and Twitter being such a large part of peoples lives. And Instagram, Snapchat and those weirdly named "dating" apps. A "tablet" w/ button controls w/ the PSN would sell. Yes, tablet sales are down (I follow tech nonsense) but tablet sales were so high they had nowhere to go but down. But they are still selling.

We both know the biggest problem w/ the Vita was the extremely overpriced proprietary memory cards, so that's easy to get rid of. If they are going to come up w/ yet another destined to fail memory format - how many has it been now between games and audio, 5? 6? - then they shouldn't even bother. They then early on announced they were dropping game support for it, and that did it in. And it was also a bit expensive due to the OLED screen. They need to hit $199.

Here's some recent Sony hardware over the years, why are you so sure they wont' make another handheld that plays videogames?
PSP
PSPgo
Vita
Sony Experia
Sony Tablet P (looks very NDS doesn't it?)

Sony Dash

Have you seen the new Amazon Echo Show BTW? Look familiar?

Sony phones

Sony Experia Play

Go read this article about Sony getting out of the smartphone business. Sony rarely gets out of anything. There's still money to be made in portable gaming. I don't see they admitting defeat and walking away.

https://www.cnet.com/news/sony-is-here-to-play-with-gamer-focused-xperia-z4v-phone/

The first time I heard about this rumour was when a designer made a hypothetical playstation switch for fun and the facebook page LAD gaming took it out of context and reposted it as a fact.

@rjejr "Here's some recent Sony hardware over the years, why are you so sure they wont' make another handheld that plays videogames?"

The PSP is the only device there that did remotely well. Why do you think Sammy thinks Sony won't bother pursuing this market?

I think you guys are underestimating just how amazing the Playstation Vi2 is going to be. Clearly it'll have even better processing power then the PS4 Pro, and just look at all the games it'll be launching with!! Super Smash Bros 5, Half Life 3 and Halo 6 all on launch day!!

Hey, I'd be happy if they just made a revision that had actual L2 and R2 buttons. Main thing stopping me from playing PS4 games on it.

Believe in the impossible. We also got a Knack 2 announcement last year.

@KratosMD PLEASE. The fact that I can't play P5 on my Vita is the reason why I'm still in May. Loved dungeoning on P4G during my morning commute.

Must be a slow day at the office if this is the story that came across your desk. This story is like giving someone directions and telling them which way NOT to go. Stupidity breeds Stupidity.

@twisted_mellow Certainly the case when it comes to some comments.

The vita is dead niche jrpg machine

@Rob_230 - well said.

Vita is the greatest portable ever released. Persona 5, Wipeout HD, MGS Collection, Most Wanted, AC: Liberation - and the still astonishing Killzone: Mercenary - especially online.

Watching Prometheus on that lovely screen, whilst downloading Final Fantasy 7, even today it's a seamless and technically sublime device.

So yeah, day one purchase 👌

@Galvatron I still have no idea how Guerilla Cambridge managed to put Killzone on vita. Absolutely sublime graphically, and I felt a much better game than shadow fall on ps4. An absolute testament to the untapped power and potential of the console.

I have about three hundred games on vita and laugh every time people say its starved for games. Its rich and diverse library will keep me playing for years.

Eh...as much as I loved the PSP and the titles it brought fourth (Loco Roco is still my fave and Patapon was great), it still struggled alongside nintendo's DS, and the PSP was better than it! The VITA was incredible compared to the 3DS graphics wise, but the games didn't flow out for it, killing it quickly. IF sony was to make another handheld...which I don't see it happening until PS5 (which it will be like the Switch)...they'd have a lot of work to do...first of all, get rid of the expensive memory cards that they kept on doing. The PSP's was expensive when it first came out, the VITA's utterly expensive...almost more than the system itself! The next...keep the games flowing and don't stop after a year! PSP had many great games, but soon Sony stopped it and then 3rd parties became absent...the same went with the VITA...next, bring some kind of games that not only the adults want to play, but the kids too, and make it more kid-friendly (the kids are the ones who really play the portables in the US).

As much as I'd love to see a new Sony Portable, there's also reasons why I don't...Playstation TV was a flop, The VITA flopped kind of, the PSP Mini was a horrible idea (if that's what the PSP that only had download-only was called) and then Sony gave up too soon on Move and Wonderbook (seriously, one game in the US). Sony needs to just stick with the PS4 (which is where the market and money is right now for them) and the VR (which is an expensive machine that needs the games and focus on). All Sony has to do is look into the past with handhelds...Atari tried to compete with Nintendo...Failed...Sega tried to compete...ended up failing...Sony tried it once...didn't come close...Sony tried it again...failed...Microsoft wanted to try but then didn't. Too many companies tried, but nintendo always dominates the handheld world, and even nintendo is starting to fall from that (the 3DS is not as massive as the DS or even the Gameboy once was).

@Rob_230 I think most people look at store shelves for the VITA. Most of the ones who say it's starved for games, never probably picked one up, looked into the catalogue of retail games and never went onto the store to look at the download side. VITA is a great system...true I don't own one anymore or the PSP which broke last year on me...but I had a pretty good library of retail games for the VITA too at the time (I think about 30)...PSP I had over a hundred for, which is way more than I ever owned on the DS or 3DS. Sony made great portables, but they didn't really focus on the kids (which were the main ones playing the nintendo portables) and the expensive memory cards were outrageous...even during the PSP's time period...almost more than the system and way more than a game for the system. It's going to be funny to see if nintendo is even going to make a successor to the 3DS or just stick with the Switch...especially after 3rd parties are kind of drawn away from the Switch to see if it will continue selling or if the market is there. If Sony could take that market with a handheld, and bring the big AA games and the kid-friendly games (granted they wouldn't have the nintendo IP's), they COULD make a great handheld...as long as they get everything else right with it too. Sega tried and they could have made it better too...the Game Gear was just too big and the batteries were costing too much to keep it running.

Let's remind that the PSP sold more in its generation than the "very successful" Nintendo 3DS and was considered just half-successful. It's a shrinking market, I'd be very surprised if we got a new Sony handheld.

I am fine with Switch being the only platform that kind of follows that market though it's really not selling that well for a 2-month old console, no matter how positively its sales are portrayed.

@get2sammyb 3DS sales are at around 65 million or so worldwide. This is fully after the advent of smart devices. To look at extremely solid numbers like this and say there's no market for portable consoles simply because sales are down from previous portable consoles is erroneous, plain and simple.

A shrinking market is not the same thing as a non existent market. Previous portable consoles didn't have to content with the omnipresence of smart devices.

@Ralizah He's having an off day. DIgital Foundry said the PS4 CPU wasn't too hot for games these days. He got the words Nintendo fans have been hearing for years. Existential crisis ensues.

But I have too agree that Sony would be making a very stupid move to do this. Doing it so soon after Switch comes out would get ire for copying. It'd be hard pressed to make it more affordable and more powerful, while maintaining some kind of half decent battery life and god forbid the cooling.

But then look at their track record and the case gets worse! Expensive everything (If you think Switch accessories are high...jesus), proprietary memory consistently, their history of support for their side platforms period, even if the PSP did do very well, and take into account that Sony Interactive Entertainment is whats making Sony currently profitable, that's a lot of R&D alongside all the games, production of their hardware including VR, and their push for VR adoption.

And what would it be for? To take on Switch and 3DS? Nobody has surpassed it. THe cards are thoroughly stacked and Sony as a whole probably would be sane to only even attempt, once the rest of the business is stable.

Plus by the time this thing even comes out, will it be as cheap? Will it have the games the then already established Switch and much cheaper backlog that 3DS has?

Plus @get2sammyb you say that 3DS at 65 million shows the market isn't there. That's still 65 million systems! And yet you can say VR has a market at what? 2 million? Yes the market shrunk. Of course it did. Markets change and adapt. But a shrink is not a cease of existence you know. THe PS3 sold less than the PS2. Is the market still there? Yes. Because it still sold really damn well.

And I'd be curious to see what Sony would do, and as someone who likes their PSP, considering how that sold really well, I'd probably give it a shot.

@ShogunRok "Why do you think Sammy thinks Sony won't bother pursuing this market?"

B/c he's made his mind up that they won't, and once he's made his mind up there's no talking to him.

"The PSP is the only device there that did remotely well."

Yes, and how many more have they made? How many phones did they try? How many home audio formats? Sony is a large corporation. Large corporations get larger by trying new things and hoping to find one that works. They don't get larger by just settling on one and stop trying new things. Do you really thing they are going to drop everything and just make PS5, PS6, PS7 and that's it? Nothing new? They made Vita TV. It sold poorly in Japan. Then they released it as PSTV in the West. Sony doesn't give up. They aren't going to abandon gaming, and they aren't going to give up trying new things. They can't just sit on their laurels making PS5, PS6, PS7, they have to try new avenues. And how many avenues are there? Tablets, phones, handhelds. That's about it.

Doesn't matter how many failures they have, they need to keep trying new things. 3D, Move, VR. No company makes it as a 1 trick pony. Even Apple, w/ all of it's iPod success, still got into iPhones, Apple TV, iPads, then iPad Minis - even though Jobs swore they wouldn't b/c they would need to ship each one w/ a piece of sandpaper.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/19/technology/steve-jobs-apple/

I dont' think it happens this year - still pushing VR - and I dont' think they call it Vita 2 - that's just stupid - but they need to have a portable gaming device. Remember this?

Maybe they just keep shrinking down PS4 until it's portable enough for a battery powered screen?

-yawns- you know what i want? More games that ain't Special niche Japanese games. That only perverted fanboys only play. I haven't turned on my Ps4 in four months. Since Horizon Zero Dawn.

@get2sammyb "Sony Interactive Entertainment"

Ok, find me one rumour that uses the phrase "Sony Interactive Entertainment" and not just Sony when suggesting a new handheld device. Now I think your being pedantic on purpose just to show me how it feels.

@get2sammyb
Just remember what happen the last time you said was a stupid rumor

@JLPick you are completely correct on the memory cards. The lack of shelf space has always been a massive issue, and that has pushed so many games to be digital only. That in itself would be fine, but when they can often be 3gb or so, that makes the cost of memory even more obscene. I actually went to Japan and bought two 64 gb cards there as Sony never released them here; and the cost to buy them was much cheaper. I am still shocked when I look at the cost of a card on amazon etc.

@rjejr "Large corporations get larger by trying new things and hoping to find one that works."

And handhelds don't work at this point in time, as evidenced. End of story.

@BLP_Software @Ralizah So you're saying Sony should invest in a market that is undeniably shrinking? Guys, we need to stop.

@ShogunRok Man, you really got me with " I know you are but what am I " bit. Wouldn't expect anything less from the beautiful mind that came up this amazing piece. Now, excuse me while I stoop to your level, take my ball, and go home.

@twisted_mellow Wait, what? I'm not sure if wires have been crossed somewhere but I've got no idea what we're talking about now.

I would buy it day one as well. I love the Vita and the PSP. Great pieces of kit with loads of games.

@JoeBlogs "Are you in an alternative universe in which smartphones don't exist lol?"

Are you in an alternate universe where backpacks dont' exist lol? Take a look around, everybody is carrying some type of "bag" these days - backpack, shoulder, sling, messenger. It's only a matter of time before men just give up the gender battle and start carrying pocketbooks around. Why have so many names for essentially the same thing?

"dedicated"

And there's that word again. Why does it have to be a dedicated gaming console? Or phone? Or tablet? Why can't it just be a device? People are already carrying around multiple devices. How many people have a smartphone and a Vita? A smartphone and a 3DS? A smartphone and a tablet? A smartphone and an e-reader?

Vita didn't need to fail, Sony killed it more than smartphones did. And here's the thing about smartphone games nobody ever talks about, as bluetooth controllers proliferate so do games that use them. How many people carry these around?

Making a tablet w/ built in controls isn't a bad idea. Add TV-out for travel, the PSN ecosystem. Sony still has some cachet in the technology hardware space and is a leader in gaming.

Who knows, maybe they never do make one, but nothing in their history tells me it's out of the question, I'd say it's more likely than not.

@ShogunRok Just a few posts ago I said: "With that said, I don't see why Sony would risk losing money on another portable device when they're killing the home console market like they are. Especially after abandoning the Vita when it was clear that the device wasn't catching on with the mainstream." Does it sound like I said Sony should invest in the handheld market?

For better or for worse, Nintendo has always ruled the portable console roost.

As BLP said, markets expand and contract. 3DS sales are evidence that Nintendo portable consoles are still very much in demand, even if to a much smaller degree than they used to be due to smart devices.

Nobody denies that the market has shrunk, but to imply that the market that bought 65+ million 3DS consoles simply doesn't exist or doesn't count is foolishness, plain and simple. It's also foolishness to imply that Nintendo is trying to save its portable gaming line with the Switch when the evidence clearly points to their handheld consoles vastly outselling their home consoles: if Nintendo is trying to save anything, it's their presence as a home console manufacturer, and the best way for them to do that is to leverage their strength as a manufacturer of portable consoles.

Sorry everyone but we really need to stop debating the actual viability of another portable PlayStation console.

This article was supposed to highlight how ridiculous the rumour is, not ask whether we need a Vita 2. It's great to see so many people sharing their opinions but we need to cool off. If things get out of hand I'll have to start giving out bans.

@Ralizah Markets do expand and contract, definitely, but at this point in time, there just isn't a need or enough of a want for a Vita 2. Sony would be mad to chase a shrinking market. If it sees growth in a portable audience, then sure, it may invest later down the line, but right now, it's not gonna happen.

And that's the whole point of why the rumour in the article is baseless. We're looking towards E3, not the whole future of the industry.

@ShogunRok I fully agree with that. As I said, Sony has no reason to invest in another handheld. They're killing it with the home console market, and if they try to release another Vita, Nintendo is going to destroy them again, just as Sony has and will continue to destroy them in terms of home console sales.

@ShogunRok "End of story."

Wow way to go mister optimism. Remind me never to be stuck in a foxhole w/ you. The end is near, let's give up.

Here's some actual hardware numbers in chronoligical order - that show a company SHOULD have given up if you ask me:
NES 62m
SNES 49m
N64 33m
Gamecube 22m

That's more failures in home consoles than Sony has had handhelds. Good thing Ntinedo gave up and didn't make any more. Oh wait.
Wii 101 million

And in case you missed it, lots of people after the PS2 did so well, and Wii did so well, then PS3, Xbox360 and Wii U didnt', said home consoles were dead. So should Sony have given up? Is the PS4 dead?

http://reviewlagoon.com/why-game-consoles-are-dead-and-you-are-the-casualty/

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/console-gaming-is-dead-everything-good-is-happening-on-pc-right-now-1260162

Your "evidence" is unsubstantiated at best. It's more the end of your argument than the story.

Look I love my vita, but if this is anything its a vita revision only.

Here is the very simple reason why there won't be a new Sony portable - the better the hardware, the more expensive it is to develop. It is comparatively cheap to make a 3ds game. It is not cheap to make vita level AAA games like uncharted or killzone mercenaries. These are pretty much full home console games. This means you have to sell lots to make a profit. This is a risk for developers. On the 3ds a developer can make a game for a quarter as much and sell it for an equal price. The risk is less to support such a device.

For those thinking that Sony would put Ps4 games on it, why would they split the sales of the essentially the same console? Most consumers would just buy one or the other.

Sony really won't want one compete until there is adequate proof the market exists for it to sell very well. I see no proof of that.

@rjejr I hate to bring @Rudy_Manchego into this increasingly tedious argument but they put it more succinctly than I could: "Sony really won't want to compete until there is adequate proof the market exists for it to sell very well. I see no proof of that."

That's absolutely the case.

Problem with the Vita 2 is, what chipset would Sony use? The Switch is already using just about the best that exists for devices of that size, and graphics would be about the only advantage they'd be able to get seeing as how we know Sony wouldn't make GAMES for the damn thing. They'd have to dig deep in their pockets and beg AMD to step up

@get2sammyb I sincerely hope the few of us left who enjoy traditional gaming on the go are enough to sustain the handheld market for a while longer. I simply couldn't go back to playing Angry Birds on the bus now that something like Breath of the Wild is an option too.

@JoeBlogs "do you back that horse?"

Yes, obviously, or I wouldn't have spent my entire morning filling this thread w/ numbers and pictures.

I wouldn't do it this year at E3 though. PSVR has to be the focus, and PS4 Pro to offset the attention Scorpio will be getting. And Nintneod is releasing a New 2DS XL in July for $149 and I'm not going up against that this holiday, that's too many fronts to take on. Crush MS first. Survive the Switch launch year. Strike when the 3DS fades away.

Next year. I think 3DS will fade away as Ntinedo moves it's focus to Switch. Let Switch do all the heavy lifting this year promoting a handheld w/ TV out while they sell a $90 dock alongside it. Then come in w/ a new handheld w/ a wireless dongle for TV out that slides onto the back of the system like those wireless mice. It has to have Netflix though, it can't be neutered like PSTV. It has to have PS Vue. PS Now. PS+. It needs PS4 streaming. It's an all purpose tablet that's hooked into PSN. Honestly I'm still working on a name b/c I want to call it the PSP but that's already been used. The name is really the hardest part for me right now, everything else seems good.

Here's how I sell it in the boardroom though.

"Sony is the undisputed leader in home console gaming. We are synonymous with cinematic gaming on our large screen tvs. But kids today, millennials, they dont' get their entertainment on TVs, they get it in their pocket. Email, texting, web browsing, gaming, social media. It's all they do, and they do it all with a small screen in their hand. They don't own TVs. They don't sit around the living room, they are out and about. And if Sony can't get out there with them, if we limit ourselves to the TV in the living room, they'll forget about us. We'll be 'their parents gaming'. We need a presence. We need to be in their hand, with them at all times. We dont' need to make a ton of money off of it, but we need them to continue to 'game' with Sony and not let them all just become causal 'King' gamers for life. We need to keep them engaged with the Sony and PS brands. We need to keep them tied to our subscription services. We need to be relevant to them, and home gaming is becoming increasingly irrelevant to them."

Then I'd whip out the prototype and boring stats and stuff. But the pitch is relevancy in a changing world. The handheld isn't the end all or money maker, it's the breadcrumbs to the money of PS+, PS Vue, PS Now. We live in a subscription digital world, millenails dont' want to own anything anymore, they believe in a rental society, they can't be bogged down. Blame Netflix.

@get2sammyb "You're comparing apples to oranges there."

Last I checked smartphones were supposed to kill home console gaming as well, making them both apples.

https://www.wired.com/2013/01/how-mobile-kills-the-console-but-advances-the-gaming-industry/

The point still stands, Ntinedo had nothing but decreasing sales in it's home console business, and they probably should have gotten out, but they didnt', and they had a big hit on their hands w/ Wii. Then they crashed and burned w/ Wii U, so they really should have gotten out. But they didn't, they made Switch, but it's obviously too early to tell how that will turn out. (I'm open to the possibility that they did get out of the home gaming market w/ Switch, it's a tablet, but they are marketing it as a "home console" if you've seen what they've done the past 8 or 9 months.)

I'm sure there were just as many analysts saying Ntinedo should get out of the home console market after N64 and Gamecube as there are now saying Sony should get out of the handheld market. But Ntinedo didn't. And I don't think Sony will either.

um, I think that analyst comment was based on something Shogun said, not you, apologizes if it seems out of the blue. But there are always analysts making comments, half of them will turn out to be right, half wrong. Very few places where all analysts agree on everything. There are lots of reasons for Sony to get out of the handled business, I agree. I just happen to think there are more reasons for them to stay in.

@ShogunRok Well I'm bring them in less than you did and not quote them, but reading the rest of that comment they entirely left out subscription based services like PS Now and PS Vue which is how I've stated I think Sony makes it's money on their next handheld. If they don't think people will use it for PS Now and PS Vue then they shouldn't do it.

They shouldn't have released PSTV in the US w/o Netflix. It wasn't the only problem, but it dind't help having something w/ "TV" in the title hooked up to the TV, but didn't have any streaming services. I've always said, going back at least a year or 2 or 3, that their next handheld would be primarily sold as a streaming device. PS4go. Maybe I'll just start calling it that.

PS Vita 2 yours for only £99 and get a 8Gb SD card to go with it for only £345 lol

@get2sammyb Dedicated portable devices are so "dead" that Nintendo is releasing a brand spanking New 2DS XL this summer.

Oh, and did you see the sales of Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia? Number 1 in Japan, number 5 in UK multiplat chart (with a single version), and that's just the first week.

You are ALL not seeing the obvious solution here. Sony needs to make a Smartphone, similar to its current phones in size but beef it up with power and give it (although in a bit smaller) joyconstyle controllers to attack on the sides on it to play all android games with it. That's strike 1. Strike 2 is: bundle it with a little receiver with hdmi out so you can wirelessly stream the content you play to a TV. Since most phone displays are FULL HD or even MORE anyways, pushing the pixels on a normal FULL HD TV won't be any problem. Strike 3: Now get some first party people to make android-compatible games and put them onto the google play store. That way you dive into the mobile market same as Nintendo is doing AND have THE BEST "console phone hybrid" to play them on AND transmit it to anything with an HDMI-IN. Simple. Something with the power of an "old" iphone 6S is powerful enough to run all triple A android games in FULL HD most of the time in 60 fps even. So. It's not impossible. Charge 499 for it and win. My idea, so I want a cut of 10%!

@ShogunRok "discussions out of hand" "giving out bans" don't you think a healthy friendly discussion doesn't warrant a ban for going slightly off-topic? At least it generates traffic for your site right?

Seems a bit harsh. But that's just my opinion.

@get2sammyb I don't post here THAT frequently anymore so I don't know if we all have potential for a verbal 3rd world war or something... So as long as we are STILL on the save side, I'm glad and feel secure!

That said, I personally value an interesting discussion with many different people sharing their views more than staying a 100% on topic! And we are not THAT far off topic, because if we somehow could verify a VALID reason for Sony to go into the handheld business again, the rumours suddenly might hold some truth instead of just some wishful thinking no?

@get2sammyb Why not a Vita -2? All they need to do is build it around a smartphone - Bang!

@rjejr While SONY is totally crazy enough to do another one, that was very much the old PlayStation with the PSP Go.

That being said, despite the 3DS dominating the portable market over the PSV. It was by no means a flop. They sold a lot of VITA units. Moreso than the Wii U...That's really quite sad on the Wii U's side, but not not a complete failure for the PSV, just because the PSP did so much better.

I could see them doing another portable unit. But it will likely be a more open unit for just that, 3rd party indies and the like. Powerful enough, and given more functionality. I also don't expect it for at least 2-3 years.

@rjejr Hmm I think discussing my comment without reference to me is slightly ruder.

Maybe a streaming device can work and maybe PS Now and Vue and apps etc would make the new handheld worthwhile to Sony but it does need to be looked at from business incentive. The Psp was supposed to beat Nintendo in the handheld market and it was beaten by the DS. It wasn't a failure but they weren't dominant. Their follow up, the Vita, was a sales disaster. You have to have something pretty inviting on your hands to want to invest more capital into a venture that has not yet yielded market dominance or in some cases adequate sales.

Nintendo have done spectacularly well with their handhelds and the 3ds has sold well overall but there is uncertainty over the future of handheld gaming. That can't be denied. As said, it would take a pretty innovative product to break through that with consumers. The Switch might be the product to do that but if it hits, Sony can only ever be the imitator.

You also have to look at where Sony are in the marketplace. As of today they are market leaders in home console gaming. They are at the forefront front of consumer VR (call that a gamble). They have great sales so any product will have to complement their successful line uo. Sony are in it for the money as are Nintendo and MS and everyone. If there is a proven market for it then Sony may cater it. Nothing discussed so far has convinced me there is a market for it. People won't buy switches, 3ds' and ps vita 2's. Someone will lose out in an obviously shrinking market.

I

i hadn't planned to get a vita, but got caught up in the launch weekend hype (and found good in-store deal - vita + uncharted + 8gb card for £199) and bought one.. but whilst i got a fair amount of use from it for a year or so, i don't think i've turned it on in over a year.. i haven't turned my tablet on in over two years. my biggest issue is with vita is the screen is too small. and of course there's the awkwardness of using the back screen as L2/R2 and L3/R3 substitutes, and the overpriced cards. so i think to myself, give it a couple of mini usb ports (so you could attach a dualshock, or an external hdd to store everything), and a mini hdmi out to attach to it a screen, and it's on to a winner.. or even use bluetooth to connect a ps4 controller (maybe that's possible already, my vita firmware is many versions behind i'm sure). but then that's not very practical on-the-go gaming, and is only portable in the sense of moving from place to place. that's an even smaller market, i doubt that many people go on holiday and are itching to plug in a games console in the hotel/guest room.. i still wouldn't use it. i don't even have a single game on my phone which is an xperia z5! (i mostly use just 2 apps on my commute to work - firefox, and duolingo). there's probably a lot people like myself that invested initially in the vita, that wouldn't in a vita-2.. diminishing returns and all that.

@get2sammyb You have a weird concept of reinforcement. The 2DS/3DS family is the best-selling platform of current gen with 66 million sold at last count, and still counting. New 2DS XL will push those figures even higher, and there's a veritable cornucopia of games still coming out for 2DS/3DS.

Just check the Japanese charts, where the majority of games sold are for 2DS/3DS. This is a platform that sells tens of millions of games worldwide, and the sales were up last year!

I think it's dumb. It's the era of smartphone apps (mini-games) for portable entertainment nowadays.

Nintendo Switch, to be honest most are using it as home console...

I fully expect the PS5 to be a hybrid, they'll copy the Switch quite closely i think, and why not, it is a great idea. I could see it doing very well for Sony but they'll never create a true dedicated handheld again, a hybrid is as far as they will go.

I sincerely hope if Sony is insane enough to announce a new system at this year's E3 that it's a 'tease' for the PS5 and not another friggin' handheld. PSP is my all-time favorite portable system and I gamed more on the Vita than 3DS but I know my preferences aren't close to baring out what the mass market wants. Since PlayStation is still where I prefer to play most games, I hope for the sake of the brand's long-term future that Sony isn't stupid enough to try another portable system. It has utterly no clue when it comes to that market. Let Nintendo, a company that knows what it's doing in that domain, have it. Sometimes there is something to be said for focus on what you're good at. Sony is good at home video game consoles, it's not good at pretty much everything else these days.

This is one rumor i wish would come try asap. Vita 2. Imagine having psp,p1,p2,p3,ps vita library accessiable by a handheld. Plus it own games and some lower power ps4 games.

Ps vita have been amazing for me so far. Many many great games came out for the system.

Day 1 buy

@Gamer247 I play non stop on the PS4 so?

@whywai88 To be really honest, most of aren't using or even intending to buy the Switch at all!

lol, so many are eagerly awaiting another handheld device that Sony will drop support for in a year's time. They'd be idiots not to release a new portable at this point.

As a Switch owner I will welcome a new PSP for the simple fact that multiplatform games will have to be scaled down a bit which basically opens up the market for Nintendo. Also, the Switch is no competition to the PS4, or Xbox One, but a new portable will give the much needed competition Nintendo need to step up their game.

@get2sammyb "Do you know what Kaz Hirai did when he became CEO? Shut it all down and focused on the company's strengths.

The conclusion: Sony is forecasting its biggest profit in two decades this fiscal year."

Know what I like the best about cliche's? There are almost always opposite pairs. This pair is my favorite.

He who hesitates is lost.
Fools rush in.

I know Sony has done a good job cutting back and becoming profitable, so I can understand why you think they wouldn't try out a new handheld. But there's another saying - don't put all of your eggs in one basket. If Sony ditches handheld gaming and Scorpio were to somehow miraculously crush PS4, then what? Do they become a one trick pony? You can't be a company with just 1 product.

Sony can get out of a lot of areas that don't make sense for them, or a profit, but handheld gaming is part of gaming. I just don't see them abandoning that. I see them abandoning OLED screens, and proprietary memory cards, and a dedicated handheld only gaming device - which would just seem stupid after the Switch tribrid, but I can't see them only having PS4. Sony likes to try new things. Constantly. Weren't you berating them last year for trying to promote both the PSVR and Pro at the same time, saying they should just focus on one? They never focus, they are always trying new things. And copying Nintedo. PS4go. Or something. They won't go PS4 only until PS5 releases.

Oh, and nobody brought this up in the debate somehow that I read, but I know MS doesn't have a handheld, but they tried phones - lost $Billions - Zune, Surface, Hololens, Smart 2nd Screen whatever they called it. Their gaming focus is squarely on X1, but they have plenty else going on. Sony needs something else, even if it fails they have to try.

@drd7of14 "I also don't expect it for at least 2-3 years."

That's a decent timeline. I was thinking next year myself b/c 3DS should be mostly done by then as Nitnedo focuses more on Switch, and I forsee Sony focusing on PS5 in 2019 and I don't think they would want to try and promote a new handheld and home device at the same time. Also, Vita is now 5 1/2 to 6 years old depending on region, which is about the normal life span of a gaming device, so sooner could happen. This year does seem too soon regarding these rumours.

@Rudy_Manchego "I think discussing my comment without reference to me is slightly ruder."

Sorry, was trying to do you a favor and not drag you into this any more than you already are, but I'll keep that in mind for future reference. Had I actually quoted you like Shogun did I'm pretty sure I would have mentioned you, don't want to be accused of plagiarism.

anyway...

You mention Nitneod a few times - which is fine by me but seems to give Sammy an ulcer - and here's the thing, did you see my Ninteod home console numbers in an earlier post? Wii U sales were just as bad as Vita sales, but Ntinedo still came out w/ a console they are marketing as a "home console'. Not everybody believes them, we can all see it's a tablet, but they are selling it as a home console that's portable. And Gamecube sales and N64 sales weren't all that great either compared to PS2 or PS3 or PS1 or even PS4. Heck the highest selling Nintneod home console, the NES, the console that everyone is always raving about, that or the SNES, neither of them sold anywhere near the PS consoles. But Ntinedo keeps on making new ones.

So I'm not saying Sony WILL make a new handheld, I'm not a psychic, but I wouldn't rule it out based on Sony's interest in and past history of producing gaming devices. We're talking about the company that made the PSPgo, bombed out of existence, and the PSTV, nearly as awful. I don't see them giving up.

"People won't buy switches, 3ds' and ps vita 2's. Someone will lose out in an obviously shrinking market."

Well as I've said multiple times earlier - not that you should have read it, just so you know I'm not making it up on the fly - I dont' think Sony should launch this device until next year when Nintnedo focuses more on Switch and stops making 3DS games. 3DS is 7 years old, it's nearing it's lifes end. And at the moment Nintnedo seems content on keeping Switch a dedicated gaming device. The one thing, "dedicated', that I dont' think it should do. No web browser, email, Netflix et al. If they keep that up, that's a huge opening for Sony. So there's Switch, a dedicated gaming device Ntinedo is marketing as a home console, and no 3DS. MS isn't making a ZuneBoy, so that leaves only Switch. Surely there's enough room in the market for more than 1 portable device to play games on. Sure, smartphones and tablets, but those aren't gaming devices, not w/o buttons and sticks. So it's Switch and PS4go (not a real name, but I needed to call it something). I dont' think that's too crowded of a field. Not if Ninteod focuses ONLY on games and Sony focuses on streaming everything - old games, new games, movies, live TV. There should be room for those 2 barely competing devices.

Now of course it's up to Sony to decide if they can do it right and make some money. But I imagine Sony is thinking about it. Much more so than a lot of people on here. May never launch, but a lot of things get thought about that never launch, doesn't mean they aren't thinking about it.

They put PS Now on PC, who saw that coming? That's competing w/ Xbox and MS isnt' it? But they are doing it anyway.

@JoeBlogs I never try to think anyone is like me, I'm too weird, I try to see what's going on in the general public and w/ my sons, 1 in high school, one in middle school, those are the gamers of the future. And in the future there are no home consoles, b/c there are no tvs, b/c everybody at birth is handed a screen - smartphone or tablet - and that's their screen for life. If Sony wants to still be relevant in gaming in 10, 15, 20 years they need a portable device.

And if smartphones weren't enough we now have VR. Who needs a 65" TV when you can slap a 5" screen onto your face? Sony is smart getting into VR with PSVR, but in the near future phones will be powerful enough for VR so you wont' need a home console, just a handheld and a visor. I'm not sure if Nitneod will ever make a visor for that big tablet Switch, but Switch is a big tablet, so it's possible. Screen resolution isn't really up to snuff either, but Switch 2 should be both powerful enough and have enough resolution to pull it off. Not as good as a $1,500 home PC experience, but good enough for people used to 5" smartphone screens. And who knows, maybe Nitneod makes a smaller lighter SwitchBoy that does fit into a VR visor. Then what? Sony loses the home market b/c millennials dont' buy TVs. It loses the handheld market to the Nitnedo Switch. It loses the VR market to SwitchBoy or Switch 2.

Vita 2 wouldn't do PSP, DS or even 3DS numbers, but there are people who want to game on the go, a lot of people, and phones are phones. Sony may need to make another failing portable console for 5 years b/c the one after that, the PS6, might only be a portable like the Switch. And I think it would be much easier to have another failure for years to follow it up w/ a winner than give up the portable market to Ntinedo and try to get back into it 5 years from now.

Not saying they will, but that's my forward thinking overview. It's not abut now, it's about the future.

@Rob_230 Now even nintendo went that route with the Switch and 3DS...the micro SD cards are just as expensive, and I kind of miss the old days of never needing them (granted it's the 16-bit era on down). Even when the PS2 came out, and all that was available at the time was the 8MB Memory cards...which they were even expensive back then...as soon as the games were coming out, many of them were taking up 1-2MB of space on it...which then left the consumer of purchasing too many to keep track of. Gamecube was the same, when nintendo only made 59-block memory cards (which were hard to find) and many of the games were taking up more than that. Sports games were horrible to buy back in those days, as they took up too much. That was one thing I actually liked about the X-box for it's internal memory, which took many games to be able to even fill it up. Then came this past generation, where the 500GB of space barely cut it out...games were taking more space for save data and the download size was horrendous...sometimes I was thinking this is a way for the companies to try and sell more consoles, but for people that actually enjoyed gaming, loved having a large library and others who didn't have a lot of money or space for multiple consoles, it's a hazard that the companies continue to play with. Even PS4 is doing this, 1TB isn't really a lot of space when games are taking up 50+GB onto the machine itself, and even getting constant updates which take up more GB...when I only had 500GB of space (which over a hundred is taken away when you first turn it on), 22 retail games later, I was completely out until they finally allowed External HD's. This should be allowed for now on, and they should also make it where you can add as much space as you want...it would even be nice if the console could come out with no memory, you purchase your own HD, and the cost of the system can really be lowered in price for more people to enjoy (granted many would complain about having no memory on it).

Sorry for the long rant there, guess I really got going on it. The External is lovely to have...something I wish they would have added for the PS3 since I have a bunch of downloaded games, retail games, tv episodes and movie downloads on it...2TB of internal still doesn't cut it. Hopefully the next generation gets it right, but even if they give a console that has 8TB of internal, the games will just take it away like nothing...must be something there, right?!!!

Anyways, if Sony makes another handheld (which I still don't see), hopefully they get the memory right, or at least give the system a fair share of HD space on it. Nobody wants to buy the system, spend more on memory and then also a game...gets to be too expensive and many parents like myself, would walk away from it and go the cheaper route...which ended up being the DS (which didn't really need one at the time until it became the DSI) or the 3DS which comes with one. The Switch is the newest machine that proves that the memory cards can be expensive. If I bought it, and had to pay $80 for a memory card, I'd use that money to want to buy a few games instead. It's not just memory cards though, there's no reason that controllers have to cost as much as a new game either...$60 is expensive...and nintendo's cost of $70+ shows that nintendo are even pigs in the market.

@rjejr Don't worry no offence taken and you make some good points (though not sure of the need to make Sammy have an ulcer - or at least I would be concerned for someone that gets an ulcer at the mention of a console product )

A few points of view. Firstly, about Nintendo not giving up after poor sales. Well, you are right, losing dominance isn't the same as not selling anything or it not being worthwhile. I mean, Microsoft aren't going to give up games just because they didn't sell as many XB1's as PS4's. The N64 and GC still sold and were, with the way Nintendo works, largely profitable. The 3ds, of course, has made Nintendo lots of money - it has pretty much kept them in business.

However, there are lots of examples out there of companies that have failed and then have not released more consoles. Sega were flying high early nineties and then blew it with random peripherals, the Saturn and then Dreamcast. Bye bye Sega.

What it does mean is that releasing consoles and getting it right is hard. It costs an awful lot of money. R&D, Marketing, funding exclusives, servers, storefront, patents etc etc. These are all costs that are not really passed on to the consumer, at least not fully. I really wouldn't be surprised if Sony made a loss on the Vita when all is said and done.

So Sony did pretty well on the PSP, flopped on the PS Go, Flopped on the Vita and flopped on the PSTV (because, really, what the heck was that?). So, from an investor point of view, they'll need to justify any move into a new industry.

Sony, in the PS3 era seemed to throw everything at the kitchen sink. PS Camera/Move, Wonderbook, PS Go, PS Vita and PSTV etc. Sony were bleeding money. What we have seen in the PS4 era is a far more focused Sony. What have they given us? A PS4, a slim PS4 and a faster PS4 and PSVR. The PSVR is their only risk and they have really downplayed it rather than going big, almost as if they don't want to shift focus on the PS4.

When it comes to the Switch, Sony might well be able to compete but let's assume that Sony had seriously pursued their own competitor, they would have needed to have started development at least a couple of years ago to get anything out to market this year. That is unlikely since the Switch was just a rumour at that point. That would mean the Switch has a head start to make inroads, which, if the launch is any indication, it has managed. Not only that but long term sales are still up for debate. It could still peter out over the next year (I doubt and hope not but hey, life).

It is also hard to argue that the mobile gaming market is shrinking. Sammy is right. The 3ds has sold like 60 million and no one is going to sniff at those numbers but they are still the lowest for a Nintendo handheld console and that is after six years on release. Put it this way, the DS sold 154 million, an aberration sure but in the same period, the PSP sold 82 million - a total of 236 million consoles. In the 3DS generation, what the sales been so far? Just over 72 million. Neither are 'bad' consoles (Vita and memory cards notwithstanding). What can we take from that? Mobile gaming isn't seizing players in the same way, probably because of competition from other quarters.

So you add all that up, you have Sony, a company that has gotten leaner and more averse to risk, a competitor with a risky product that will have at least 6 months head start on the market and a demonstrably shrunken market. From all that, I would guess that Sony won't be releasing a portable any time soon.

If they were to release a console it would need a pretty good USP, in the way that Switch has. Just copying Switch probably won't work and why would they release a hybrid when they have a successful home console? Sony got into handhelds because they saw a gap in the market - a powerful handheld that would do to handhelds what the PS1 did to home consoles. Unfortunately, that is one that they lost and haven't succeeded with.

I can remember a year or two ago thinking differently, even discussing on this site why I thought this would be a sure move if the hardware was right but on reflection, it just doesn't seem likely. I would love one, personally but at the same time I have a Switch now and since I got that, I have used my Vita less than I used to. In fact, I'm going away soon and I will be taking that rather than the Vita.

@Rudy_Manchego "I have used my Vita less than I used to."

Well, there haven't been that many games for it, and the Switch is new, so it makes sense. I don't use my PS3 all that much either and it sold a lot better than Vita did. My Wii U currently gets a whole more use than my PS3, PS4 or X1 thanks to my kids playing Zelda.

"and why would they release a hybrid when they have a successful home console? "

Well I already answered that, PS4 may be doing great, w/ a big thanks to MS for royally screwing up the X1 reveal, but what about next gen? What happens when people decide they don't need a home console b/c they spend more time on portables than their tv? If PS5 sells poorly then they have nothing. 3DS kept Nitneod afloat while Wii U crashed and burned. Can Sony plan on selling 80 million portables? Probably not. But would 25 or 30m suffice? They almost need a portable if they want Japan to care.

Guess they have to ask themselves if it's ok to be 2nd fiddle to Ntiendo, b/c they won't beat them, Pokemon will see to that. Even if they get Monster Hunter, Pokemon is a handheld seller. Same w/ Animal Crossing. So they need to set their sites low and decide if it's worth it. I think they are making a mistake to abandon it, but yes, they need to do it right, and only they know if they can or not.

But there should always be more than one. Roku vs Chromecast vs Fire TV. Amazon Echo vs Google Home. Apple vs Samsung, Apple vs Android. If Nintendo has the only portable gaming system, that's bad for everyone.

But still not this year. Maybe a reveal at PSX in Dec for next year.
I may not buy one, but I'd be sad if there wasn't one.

I agree that a PS portable would be awesome, I would defo buy one. I like Nintendo but I also like Sony IP's as well.

I suppose the crux of it comes down to your comment of what if no one wants a PS5 because it isn't portable.

Well I don't think portable play is that important to the average consumer anymore. The Switch may change our gaming habits but I don't think it will change them enough. Time will tell though, I could be wrong. I am not sure what Sony will do next - my best guess is iterative upgrades.