With the advent of the Nintendo Switch as a console that can be played in the comfort of one’s own home as well as anywhere on the road, it’s going to be hard for other handhelds to keep a firm hold in the market. Why limit oneself when the best of both worlds can be attained?
It looks like one of the first casualties in the handheld market is the Playstation Vita. This is confirmed by the Playstation Japan site (in Japanese, of course), where it explains that both the Playstation Vita Black and the Playstation Vita Aqua Blue will be discontinued. This is after already stopping production of physical Playstation Vita games in the North American and European markets (March 2018) and informing those who have a Playstation Plus subscription service that as of March 2019 there will no longer be new Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita games added to the monthly “free” offerings.
Considering Sony had earlier said that the Playstation Vita was “not an active line” outside of Japan and some parts of Asia, it makes sense that Japanese production would be the last to be shuttered; Sony has decided to bow out of the handheld market, at least for the time being. Whether the future holds another iteration of the handheld or sees Sony attempt something akin to the Nintendo Switch is currently unknown, but one can bet that Sony is paying attention to the success of that console.
If you were planning on purchasing a Playstation Vita before it’s swan song, now would be the time. Though, honestly, if you already own a Nintendo Switch you probably don’t need it, unless there’s a specific exclusive you have your eye on.
So let’s say our final farewell as the Playstation Vita shuffles off this mortal coil and fades into memory.
The Playstation Vita is (sort of) available now.
Sources: TechRadar, Gamespot, PushSquare
