Sony’s PlayStation Vita was noticeable by its absence at the company’s E3 2015 press conference this year, but on the show floor there were plenty of developers showing off their impressive indie wares on the flagging handheld.
Though you’d be forgiven for thinking Sony was abandoning its handheld, after Global CEO Andrew House referred to Vita as a “legacy platform”,apparently it’s not over yet by a long shot; although it’s future does pretty much lie with the passion of indie developers, and those who enjoy using Vita for Remote Play.
Speaking in an interview with Forbes this week, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden says that he’s currently happy with Vita sales in the U.S.
“In fact, we sold more than we had internally targeted last year,” he told Forbes. “We saw some issues in the market last year with supply constraint, which was kind of a surprise. I still believe it’s the best hand held gaming experience as far as what it brings you from technology and screen resolution. PlayStation Now, our streaming gaming service, is supported by Vita, so that’s bringing new users. And the fact that Vita got to support remote play for PS4, that caused a huge spike in sales, which we’re still kind of chasing.”
Speaking about the future of Vita, Layden stressed that there are plenty of games coming out this year, 100 in fact, though most of those will be indie titles.
“I think there’s 100 games coming out this year across the Vita platform. I think it’s a great platform for independent developers. They’re seeing a lot of opportunity across that. And it’s certainly a very vital and vibrant platform in the crucial Japan and Asia markets. So, yeah, we’re still in the Vita business. We’re still using it to bring new experiences. I think the cost of entry for a developer is probably more friendly than doing a full-blown, triple-A PS4 title.”
PlayStation Vita lauched with such promise and was marketed toward the core PlayStation audience with triple-A titles such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss launching on the device and showcasing its potential as a powerhouse gaming handheld. We can’t help but be a little disappointed at the direction that Vita has headed over the past few years, but we’re also happy to see that indie developers have been given a strong outlet to showcase some of their games, and we’re thankful that we’ve got to play some great handheld titles such as Persona 4 Golden and Motorstorm RC. Let’s hope a good chunk of those 100 upcoming Vita games are half-decent.