Sony Computer Entertainment President and Global CEO Andrew House referred to the PlayStation Vita and its home microconsole equivalent, the PlayStation TV, as “legacy platforms” during his presentation at Sony’s 2015 Investor Relations Day.
House painted a grim picture for Sony’s dedicated handheld market as he forecasted a decrease in PlayStation’s portable business in fiscal year 2015, “notably in the US & EU.”
Meanwhile in Asia and Japan, the PlayStation Vita remains “pretty strong and vibrant,” House remarked.
The continued downturn in PlayStation Vita sales comes as no surprise as the portable console has found tough competition from Nintendo’s 3DS handhelds and, of course, the mobile gaming market.
The platform failed to gain sales traction in the West even after big first-party exclusives like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Killzone: Mercenary, Tearaway or major third-party offerings such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified and Borderlands. Without a significant install base, the Vita provides little incentive for studios to develop games for it. Japan has seen stronger Vita sales and thus a significantly larger software library.
Positioning the Vita as a PS4 accessory for its Share Play feature last year unfortunately did not help boost its numbers either. The PlayStation TV appears to be a flop as Western retailers continue to heavily discount the microconsole less than 9 months since its launch.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the PS Vita? Let us know in the comments and check back to PSU for news and upcoming E3 2015 coverage.