Sony’s support for the PS Vita might have ended sooner than gamers would have liked, but the company still regards the handheld as a significant step forward in the world of portable gaming. Highlighted on a webpage commemorating PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, Sony described its ambition to deliver “console-quality” gaming experiences in a sleek, portable design.
### Sony’s Secretive Stance on PS Vita Sales
Much has been discussed about the PS Vita and the reasons it didn’t succeed as expected, yet there’s no denying it was ahead of its time. In Sony’s view, it introduced groundbreaking features to handheld gaming, backed by a strong and varied lineup at launch.
Sony elaborated, “Packing a genuine console experience into gamers’ pockets worldwide involved compact-scale innovations. This ranged from how players engaged with game worlds to creating an interconnected ecosystem with home PlayStation consoles.”
Curiously absent from the webpage, however, is the number of PS Vita units sold—a detail Sony has never shared. This stands in contrast to the PSP, which boasted sales of over 80 million units, a figure Sony proudly displayed in the same collection.
Estimates suggest the PS Vita sold around 15-16 million units, providing a plausible rationale for Sony stepping back from the portable gaming scene.
That being said, there’s an optimistic buzz in recent reports hinting at Sony’s potential return to the handheld gaming market. This comes on the heels of the success achieved with the PS Portal, suggesting Sony might be gearing up for another leap in portable innovation.
