Sony Toio PS Vita PlayStation Vita 1

A patent filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and published this week prompted many to believe that the Japanese giant may be working on a successor to the PlayStation Vita, but despite the documentation depicting a new cartridge-like product, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with a hypothetical handheld – instead, it’s for a toy named the Sony Toio which released overseas last year.

Many had believed (hoped?) that the company was in fact lining up a successor to its portable line, given that the PS Vita is scheduled to officially be discontinued next year. But the patent shows a cartridge identical to the ones used in the abovementioned product, and thus is completely unrelated.

Sony Toio PS Vita PlayStation Vita 2

The manufacturer has admitted that handhelds are “one way of delivering gaming experiences” in the past, but the chances of it creating a PS Vita successor look slim at this stage – especially while it’s hands-on with the PlayStation 5 behind-the-scenes. Of course, a new portable isn’t impossible should the right circumstances arise – it just seems unlikely right now. And this patent is, unfortunately, not evidence of anything.

[source techtastic.nl, via theverge.com]