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Is a New PS Vita Secretly in the Works?

Is a New PS Vita Secretly in the Works?

Along with the PS4 Neo, Sony is rumored to be announcing something it’s calling the PS Vita Trinity. Hopefully it will be an upgraded companion to the PS4 Neo, but who knows. I’m wondering how Sony plans to swing another portable console after the PS Vita’s crash . Sony will have to figure out where the handheld console fits among the mobile market, and definitely organize a better marketing campaign.

The portable console history for Sony has definitely had it’s ups and downs. The PSP wasn’t very successful on this side of the ocean, but in Japan it made a legacy for itself. It was the first region-free console, able to allow everyone else access to the normally inaccessible JRPGs and Japanese visual novels. Obviously this appealed more to those who make a hobby of importing Japanese titles, and Japanese gamers themselves. Thus, among other reasons, the PSP never really charmed the American audience.

Then the Vita came out and to be honest, the reason behind it’s quick death had a lot to do with Sony’s neglectful marketing of it. They promoted it like crazy before it’s release, promising all sorts of big titles and streaming capabilities with the PS3 and PS4… then just tried to shove it under a rug where only third party games lived. Though it turned into an indie game heaven, no AAA title has been produced for it since Borderlands 2 in 2014.

With the PSP and Vita failing miserably in America, it seems a little odd that Sony wants to give it another go. Nonetheless, I think they can manage it – if Sony can make a handheld console that can compete with mobiles and market it right. Despite what some people believe, I think there is still a place for the handheld console even with the rise of mobile gaming. Smartphones just aren’t powerful enough yet to function as both phone and console. Well, they can, but the games available are limited by the power of the phone. A full-fledged AAA game just isn’t possible on mobile, which is why we have simplified versions, like Lara Croft Go and Call of Duty Heroes .

The games are also limited by the controls of the mobile. There’s just no match for two analog sticks and four buttons. Personally, I find the experience to be entirely different as well. There’s just something about pressing a button to complete an action versus tilting my screen or poking it.

Is a New PS Vita Secretly in the Works?

In addition, I feel the devices themselves are required for two entirely different circumstances. My phone is dedicated to games I’m not entirely committed to, that I can stop at any point without caring about save points or plot. Whether I need to message someone or run for the next bus, I need to be able to drop the game without hesitation. Games like Badland (a side-scrolling puzzle game) or Pokémon Go provide that. As such, my Vita is for any extended period away from home (like vacations) or simply when my wife is playing the console and I want to game too.

To me, there’s a clear and defined place for the handheld console, despite the ever popular mobile. But I cannot emphasize enough how the marketing for Trinity will be the key to success more than anything else. It all boils down to new game mechanics (not a bizarre rear touch-pad) and exciting new games. As long as Sony doesn’t try to forget it exists like it did with the Vita, Trinity will be a lot more successful. If Sony can impart even a little of the glamor they had at this year’s E3 to the announcement of the Trinity, it will go miles to hype up the fans. Again, if Sony can create a handheld that appeals to mobile gamers as well as traditional gamers, and markets amazing games for it, Sony will be able to make the Vita great again.

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