Vita truthers rejoice, for the days of PlayStation portable gaming could soon be returning.
According to newly appointed PlayStation chief John Kodera, Sony is interested in portable gaming and is considering many potential options. Kodera said that Sony is carrying out various experiments and that while it’s too early to discuss future hardware plans, he hinted that their next console could have portable integration.
“In my opinion, rather than separating portable gaming from consoles, it’s necessary to continue thinking of it (portable gaming) as one method to deliver more gaming experiences and exploring what our customers want from portable. We want to think about many options,” said Kodera.
This view on portable gaming is a significant departure from Sony’s previous stance on the subject, as they have been moving away from portable and focusing more on VR gaming. In fact, back in 2016, former President of Sony America Jack Tretton, said the time of portable gaming consoles was over. “This (PlayStation Vita) is a great machine, it’s just too late. The world has shifted to portable devices that aren’t dedicated gaming machines.”
The Vita launched in 2011 and never found much mainstream success in the gaming industry. While new games do still come to the system, such as the recently announced Stardew Valley port, they are few and far between and Sony has officially stopped making first-party titles for the system.
This change of belief could very well have something to do with the immense success of the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s hybrid gaming system has set multiple sales records in its first year on the market, and functions as both a home console and portable gaming experience. And while it’s unclear when this potential PlayStation portable device could debut, it’s a safe bet that it won’t be anytime soon. For now, PlayStation fans have E3 to look forward to and Sony will be holding their annual presentation on Monday, June 11th.
