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PlayStation Vita
please note:
- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
{{Short description|Handheld game console by Sony}}{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
| factoids | |
|---|---|
- Rear touchpad
- Sixaxis motion sensing
- Three-axis electronic compass
- D-pad
- 16 × buttons((File:PlayStationTriangle.svg|11px|Triangle), (File:PlayStationCircle.svg|11px|Circle), (File:PlayStationX.svg|11px|Cross), (File:PlayStationSquare.svg|11px|Square), D-Pad, L, R, Start, Select, PS, Volume ±, Power)
- 2 × analog sticks| controllers = | camera = Front and back 0.3MP cameras| touchpad = 5-inch multi-touch capacitive touchpad (back of the console)
History
Background
After the success of Nintendo's Game Boy family of handheld game consoles throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, with little market competition, and Sony's massive success with its PlayStation and PlayStation 2 home video game consoles around the same time, Sony entered the handheld market as well. In 2004, it released the PlayStation Portable (PSP) to compete with the Nintendo DS as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.WEB,weblink RPG Reload Presents – The History Of Handheld RPGs, Part Eight, April 7, 2016, After a slow start in the worldwide market, it was invigorated in Japan with multiple releases in the Monster Hunter series.WEB,weblink Bad News for the PS Vita: No Monster Hunter 4 Anytime Soon, Brian, Ashcraft, August 23, 2013, With the series being less popular in western regions, it failed to revive the platform in the same way. The PSP ended up being a mixed result for the company. It was seen as a success in that it was the only handheld video game platform that had ever significantly competed with Nintendo for market share, with almost 80 million units sold in its lifespan, roughly the same amount as Nintendo's Game Boy Advance had during the sixth generation of video game consoles. This is only a little more than half of the sales of its actual market competitor, the DS, which was more than 150 million units by the end of 2011.WEB,weblink Nintendo DS: Over 150 Million Sold, Brian, Ashcraft, January 26, 2012, Rumors of a successor to the PSP came as early as July 2009 when Eurogamer reported that Sony was working on such a device, which would utilize the PowerVR SGX543MP processor and perform at a level similar to the original Xbox.WEB,weblink PSP2 In Development, As Powerful As Xbox, Luke Plunkett, July 7, 2009, Kotaku, Gawker Media, December 8, 2010, Through mid-2010, websites continued to run stories about accounts of the existence of a "PSP 2".WEB,weblink Report: Sony Working on New Gaming Machine, Brian Crecente, July 7, 2010, Kotaku, July 8, 2010, WEB,weblink PSP2 Hits Next Fall With Dual Analog Sticks, Touch Pad and Bigger Screen, Brian Ashcraft, October 25, 2010, Kotaku, Gawker Media, October 24, 2010, WEB,weblink Alleged PSP2 images surface, Jim Reilly, November 17, 2010, IGN, November 19, 2010, Reports arose during the Tokyo Game Show that the device was unveiled internally during a private meeting during mid-September held at Sony Computer Entertainment's headquarters in Aoyama, Tokyo. Shortly after, reports of development kits for the handheld had reportedly already been shipped to numerous video game developers including both first-party and third-party developers to start making games for the device,WEB,weblink Report: PSP2 Hardware Now In The Hands Of 'Numerous' Developers, Michael McWhertor, September 27, 2010, Kotaku, Gawker Media, September 27, 2010, a report later confirmed by Mortal Kombat Executive Producer Shaun Himmerick.WEB,weblink PSP2 in the hands of Mortal Kombat devs; 'It's a pretty powerful machine', Ben Gilbert, September 16, 2010, Joystiq, AOL, December 29, 2010, January 18, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110118063520weblink">weblink bot: unknown, By November, Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts, Patrick Soderlund, confirmed that he had seen that the PlayStation Portable successor existed, but could not confirm details.MAGAZINE,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20130119163156weblink">weblink dead, January 19, 2013, PSP2 exists – EA, Computer and Video Games, November 2, 2010, In the same month, VG247 released pictures of an early prototype version showing a PSP Go-like slide-screen design along with two analog sticks, two cameras and a microphone, though the report mentioned that overheating issues had since caused them to move away from the design in favor of a model more similar to the original PlayStation Portable device.WEB,weblink PSP2 dev kit snaps show twin sticks, track-pad [Update], Patrick Garratt, November 17, 2010, VG247, November 14, 2010, WEB,weblink Rumor: First Pics Of The PSP2, Michael McWhertor, November 17, 2010, Kotaku, Gawker Media, November 14, 2010, Throughout 2010, Sony would not confirm these reports of a PSP successor but would make comments regarding making future hardware. Shuhei Yoshida, President of SCE Worldwide Studios revealed that his studio, despite usually being more involved with software, had a continued role in future hardware development at the time.WEB,weblink Sony: Devs will help build the next PlayStation, Rob Crossley, July 6, 2010, Develop (magazine), Develop, July 6, 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100709053720weblink">weblink July 9, 2010, mdy-all, In December, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai stated that Sony aimed to appeal to a wide demographic of people by using multiple input methods on future hardware; buttons and joysticks for traditional handheld game system users, and touchscreens for smart phone users.WEB,weblink The PSP2 Is No PlayStation Phone, Mike Fahey, December 22, 2010, Kotaku, Gawker Media, December 23, 2010, December 24, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101224161424weblink">weblink live, The device was officially announced by Sony on January 27, 2011, at their "PlayStation Meeting" press conference held by the company in Japan.WEB,weblink PSP2 unveiled: Next Generation Portable, Tom Bramwell, January 27, 2011, Eurogamer, January 27, 2011, The system, only known by its code name "Next Generation Portable" (NGP), was announced to be a handheld gaming device that aimed for PlayStation 3 quality visuals, which was later clarified to not be taken at a literal level because, according to David Coombes, platform research manager at Sony Computer Entertainment America, "Well, it's not going to run at 2 GHz [like the PS3] because the battery would last five minutes and it would probably set fire to your pants".WEB,weblink Sony tempers NGP power claims, Ben Parfitt, March 3, 2011, MCV (magazine), MCV, Intent Media, March 4, 2011, Its power was later described by Sony engineers as about halfway between the PSP and PS3.WEB,weblink Sony's New NGP Isn't Quite As Powerful As A PS3, Despite What You've Heard, Michael McWhertor, Gawker Media, Kotaku, March 3, 2011, As rumors had suggested, the device was designed to present "the best of both worlds" between mobile and handheld gaming, including a 5-inch OLED touchscreen, a rear touchpad coupled with physical buttons and dual analog sticks.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita may die childless, but it changed Sony in time for the PS4, Dave Tach, Polygon, October 29, 2015, Sony also revealed that the device would be using a mix of retail and digital distribution of games.WEB,weblink PSP2 as powerful as PS3, set for Q4 launch, Michael French, January 13, 2011, MCV (magazine), MCV, Intent Media, January 13, 2011, Further details were announced at Game Developers Conference 2011, including that Sony would be dropping the PSP's UMD disc format in favor of small game cartridges of 2 GB or 4 GB size variants. along with two cameras, facial detection, head detection and tracking capabilities.Launch and early years
On June 6, 2011, at E3 2011, Sony announced that the device's official name would be the PlayStation Vita, with the word "vita" being Latin for "life".WEB,weblink NGP becomes PlayStation Vita, Eurogamer, June 7, 2011, June 7, 2011, June 10, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110610123821weblink">weblink live, Mark Cerny was the lead architect of the device.NEWS, Leadbetter, Richard, 2013-09-21, Mark Cerny: lead architect of... PlayStation Vita?, en, Eurogamer.net,weblink 2023-10-12, Despite reports of the 2011 earthquakes in Japan delaying the release of the device, Sony reconfirmed that it was on track for a late 2011 release in JapanWEB,weblink Sony Japan denies any earthquake-related NGP delays, Mike, Schramm, April 6, 2011, Joystiq, April 9, 2011, July 15, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120715085540weblink">weblink live, WEB, Tom, Ivan,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110926082439weblink">weblink dead, September 26, 2011, PlayStation Vita release date is 2011 in Japan, 2012 in US and Europe, Computer & Video Games, August 4, 2011, September 14, 2011, and a February 2012 release date for other major regions of the world. The release date was later narrowed down to a December 17, 2011, release in Japan,WEB,weblink TGS: Sony Reveals Vita's Release Date, Colin Moriarty, September 14, 2011, IGN, February 21, 2020, July 22, 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180722130446weblink">weblink live, and a February 22, 2012, release date for America and Europe, although a limited edition was released a week earlier in North America on February 15, 2012, which included the 3G/WiFi model of the device, the game Little Deviants, a limited-edition carry case, and a 4 GB memory card.WEB,weblink Get Your Hands on PS Vita Early with the First Edition Bundle, blog, October 27, 2011, October 27, 2011, Sony, PlayStation Blog, October 28, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111028134324weblink">weblink live, The Vita launched with 26 titles in Japan, with Sony announcing that there were over 100 titles in development prior to the system's release overall.WEB,weblink Sony reveals 26 PS Vita launch titles for Japan, Gloria Sin, ZDNet, The Vita launched in the west with 25 titles,WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita Launch Lineup and Details, December 22, 2011, July 12, 2013, June 7, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130607002607weblink">weblink live, including original titles such as (Uncharted: Golden Abyss) and Wipeout 2048, and ports of games such as FIFA 12 and Rayman Origins.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita – the essential guide, Keith Stuart, the Guardian, February 21, 2012, The sales of the Vita started strong at launch but then stalled and greatly underperformed. The Vita had a strong launch in Japan, selling over 300,000 units in its first week of availability, though figures shortly afterwards shrunk down 78% to under 73,000 sold in its second week, and then settled into about 12,000 sold per week in the following weeks.WEB,weblink PS Vita sales to top 12.4 million with price cut – Research firm, GameSpot, March 31, 2016, October 21, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161021085825weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita sales see 78% drop during Christmas week – GamesBeat – Games – by Stefanie Fogel, VentureBeat, December 29, 2011, January 21, 2017, Similarly, in the United States, the system debuted with 200,000 units sold in the first month, before slinking down into an amount of about 50,000 a month.WEB,weblink Report: Wii U, Vita continue poor US sales performance in March, Ars Technica, April 19, 2013, 1.2 million units were reported as sold as of February 26, 2012 – after it had launched in most regions.WEB,weblink Sony updates PS Vita sales figures: 'over 1.2 million units worldwide', 2 million in software, AOL, Engadget, February 29, 2012, December 22, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink live, The system continued to get high-profile games over the course of 2012, including Gravity Rush, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Persona 4 Golden, (Assassin's Creed III: Liberation), and (Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified). Despite this, the system still only managed to sell 4 million units worldwide in its first 10 months on the market, and estimated by analysts to only be at 6 million units sold after two years of availability. After 2012, Sony ceased releasing direct sales figures of the Vita, instead opting to release combined sales figures with it and the PSP.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita: Two Years Later, Colin Moriarty, December 17, 2013, IGN, Still, the system under-performed; while Sony projected selling 16 million units of combined Vita and PSP systems, it had to slash its forecast twice in the same year—down to 12 and then 10 million units sold.WEB,weblink Vita sales continue to disappoint as Sony scales back expectations, Ars Technica, November 2012, With higher-profile games not pushing the system sales enough in 2012, big third-party companies like Ubisoft and Activision started reducing or eliminating support for the system, especially in the West. Additionally, while the Monster Hunter series had significantly boosted the sales of the PSP, its absence instead hurt the Vita. Its developer, Capcom, had decided to release Monster Hunter Tri and future Monster Hunter games exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS, where it would sell millions of copies for Sony's main competitor.WEB,weblink PS Vita is really hurting without Monster Hunter... - Tiny Cartridge 3DS – Nintendo 3DS, DS, Wii U, and PS Vita News, Media, Comics, & Retro Junk, Tiny, Cartridge, With support diminishing, Shahid Ahmad, Sony's Director of Strategic Content, instead began a new approach to software, through directly reaching out to, and making accommodations for, smaller, independent developers who had previously released games for mobile and PC platforms. While not completely reversing the sales trends of the Vita, the lower costs of making or porting smaller-budget games made it easier for developers to make a profit on the system's smaller userbase, and in turn, increased consumer attention on the console, keeping the device afloat. Fez, Spelunky, Hotline Miami, and OlliOlli all found success with releases on Vita. Ahmad also maintained interest in the device by directly interacting with consumers on social media; the game Tales of Hearts R was localized into English only because it was number one in a survey of games desired on the platform. Sony continued to support the system with games through 2013 as well, albeit lesser so, with titles such as (Killzone: Mercenary) and Tearaway, along with a handful of other Western-developed ports such as FIFA 13 and Rayman Legends.MAGAZINE,weblink Should You Buy a PlayStation Vita? Consult Our 10-Step Guide, TIME.com, August 22, 2013, Peckham, Matt, While the focus on indie games kept the device afloat in the West, in Japan, no such measures were necessary, as the Vita maintained moderate hardware sales.WEB,weblink Japan, Where the PS Vita Won't Die, Brian Ashcraft, Gawker Media, Kotaku, January 28, 2016, April 4, 2016, April 3, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160403123500weblink">weblink live, While it was routinely outsold by its main competitor, the Nintendo 3DS, the Vita still managed to be one of the top consoles sold overall, partially due to Japan's preference towards handheld gaming. Strong support by Japanese developers also helped, with companies such as Bandai Namco, Falcom, Koei Tecmo, 5pb, Compile Heart, Spike Chunsoft, and Atlus releasing many games in the JRPG and visual novels genre to help keep a steady flow of mid-level releases coming to the system. Additionally, big games such as Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster sold well and roughly in-line with their home console counterparts.WEB,weblink This Week In Sales: A Link Between Worlds, Siliconera, January 8, 2014, April 4, 2016, September 24, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150924142114weblink">weblink live, The heavier support from Japan, in turn, also helped support the system in the West as well, with many games in the Atelier, Ys, Danganronpa, Persona, and Trails series localized into English on the Vita, or made playable through the system's backward compatibility with digital PSP games.WEB,weblink These 11 RPGs make the PS Vita the ultimate role-playing machine, July 15, 2015, Pocket Gamer, April 4, 2016, March 30, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160330042050weblink">weblink live, While the system managed to stay afloat as a minor success, other issues continued to persist, including the high price of the system in comparison to its main competitor, the Nintendo 3DS, and its sibling device, the PS3, the high price of its memory cards used for game and data storage,Sony Will Not Cut Price of PS Vita Outside of Japan. IGN (February 21, 2013). Retrieved on July 16, 2013. and the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets. In August 2013, Sony addressed the first two, dropping the price to $199 in North America and €199 in Europe, and cutting the suggested retail price of the memory cards as well.WEB,weblink PS Vita Price Cut to $199; Memory Cards Reduced too, Good, Owen, Kotaku, August 20, 2013, August 20, 2013, The price cut also coincided with the release of a slight redesign of the system, the "PS Vita 2000" model.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita 2000: Sony aims for the casual market with redesign, Keith Stuart, the Guardian, September 9, 2013, December 16, 2016, May 10, 2017,weblink live, The redesign included making the system 20% thinner and 15% lighter, while adding 1 GB of internal storage, and an extra hour of battery life. However, the redesign did remove the OLED screen in favor of a cheaper LCD screen.Shifting focus
Towards the end of 2013, around the launch of Sony's next video game device, the home video game console the PlayStation 4, Sony began making comments in regard to the change in focus with the Vita.WEB,weblink PS Vita review (2013), Sam Byford, November 6, 2013, Vox Media, The Verge, Yoshida stated that Sony would be releasing fewer first party games for the platform.WEB,weblink Sony: Fewer First-Party Games Coming for PS Vita, IGN, June 18, 2014, July 24, 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment's Product Planning & Platform Software Innovation Director Don Mesa stated that the "economics simply don't work with the traditional process".WEB,weblink Sony Says AAA Economics "Don't Work" on PS Vita and That's Okay, TechnoBuffalo, May 12, 2014, July 24, 2014, Sony addressed the "economics of Vita game development" issue with beginning on focusing on the fact that almost all PlayStation 4 games could be streamed and played through a Vita through Remote Play.WEB,weblink PS4-Vita Remote Play enabled at a system level, MCV, June 14, 2013, March 29, 2016, June 18, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130618013142weblink">weblink live, Sony attempted to attach the device to the PS4 due to its extreme popularity; it took only a few weeks for the sales to surpass the sales of the Vita over the course of almost two years. In July 2014, Yoshida stated that the company would focus on it less as a dedicated handheld video game console, and more on its combination of uses, stating "it's not about individual Vita games any more. It's more about how Vita can have multiple uses – with PS4 Remote Play, PS3 games with PS Now, and the dedicated games. The whole ecosystem with PS4 at the center, the Vita's a part of that."WEB, Robinson, Martin,weblink How strong exactly is PlayStation's 2014 line-up?, Eurogamer, July 9, 2014, July 24, 2014, July 28, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140728051015weblink">weblink live, Sony later announced that the Vita will have PlayStation VR integration in the form of a second screen as well.WEB,weblink [Update] Sony's virtual reality headset Project Morpheus might be integrated with Vita, Pocket Gamer, July 17, 2014, July 24, 2014, Open beta trials for PlayStation Now functionality on the PS Vita began on October 14, 2014, in North America.WEB,weblink PlayStation Now Open Beta Launches Today on PS Vita, PS TV, PlayStation.Blog, October 14, 2014, November 18, 2014, November 29, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141129022513weblink">weblink live, The PlayStation TV, released across late 2013 and 2014, also aimed to expand the system's userbase by allowing for Vita games to be played on a television like a home console,MAGAZINE,weblink Sony's 'Casual' PS Vita Impresses, but the Vita TV Box Heralds Bigger Things, TIME.com, September 9, 2013, Peckham, Matt, April 4, 2016, September 13, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130913134705weblink">weblink live, though the device was discontinued in the West by the end of 2015, and did not fare well in Japan's handheld-focused region either.WEB,weblink [Update] PlayStation TV Discontinued In North America, Europe, www.GameInformer.com, In November 2014, SCEA president Shawn Layden suggested that the new approach was working on hardware level, stating that Vita sales had increased since the implementation of PS4 Remote Play,WEB,weblink Vita Sales Are Picking Up Thanks to PS4 Remote Play, Moriarty, Colin, IGN, November 18, 2014, November 18, 2014, January 20, 2019,weblink live, though he and another Sony representative did not give specific figures. Sony continued to make games for the device, though in smaller number than in past. The last major Sony-developed title, Freedom Wars, still found success, selling over 188,000 copies in its first week of release in Japan.WEB,weblink Freedom Wars Sold Mainly To Students In Japan, Siliconera, July 4, 2014, April 5, 2016, July 15, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140715072711weblink">weblink live, The debut was the highest Sony game debut for the system, and the second highest, only to Namco Bandai's late 2013 release of God Eater 2 on the platform.In September 2015, Yoshida stated that Sony had no current plans for a Vita successor, stating that "climate is not healthy for now because of the huge dominance of mobile gaming."WEB,weblink Sony: climate "not healthy" for PlayStation Vita successor, September 26, 2015, Eurogamer.net, April 5, 2016, November 15, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161115150347weblink">weblink live, At E3 2015, he had stated that Sony would not be making any more AAA, big budget games to the system,WEB,weblink E3 2015: Sony Is Not Making Any Big Vita Games, Andrew Goldfarb, June 16, 2015, IGN, but by October, the comment had been revised that Sony would not be making any more games for it at all.WEB,weblink Sony Confirms it's Stopped First-Party Vita Development, Luke Karmali, October 23, 2015, IGN, Reasons cited included the company focusing on supporting the PS4, and the fact that it felt that third party Japanese developers and Western indie developers were sufficiently supporting the device. In March 2016, Sony announced that instead, it would be forming a new company, "Forward Works", and be instead concentrating on bringing PlayStation-based games to mobile platforms like iOS and Android.WEB,weblink Sony forms new company to make PlayStation mobile games, Sam Byford, March 24, 2016, Vox Media, The Verge, September 8, 2017, August 19, 2017,weblink live, WEB,weblink Sony announces plans to make PlayStation games for iOS and Android, March 23, 2016, AOL, TechCrunch, Despite Sony's focus on the PS4 and mobile for the future, the Vita still continued to receive substantial third party company game support in the way of Japanese-style role-playing games and visual novels and Western-style indie video games through 2017.WEB,weblink The State Of The Vita In 2015, Jason Schreier, Jason Schreier, Gawker Media, Kotaku, November 23, 2015, WEB,weblink PS Vita Is Not Dead: Here Are Some Games You Should Wait For, Tech Times, June 29, 2015, Minecraft in particular was successful for the platform, with it selling over 1.2 million physical copies in Japan alone as of September 2017.WEB, Media Create Sales: 9/4/17 – 9/10/17,weblink September 13, 2017, Gematsu, September 13, 2017, September 13, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170913184040weblink">weblink live, The device is considered to have sold fairly well in Japan, and still a crucial part of Sony's overall strategy in the region, while Sony has acknowledged that the device still has a very vocal and passionate user-base in the West as well, with the company still encouraging third party companies to create games for the device.WEB,weblink Sony's Gio Corsi: We Always Say When Starting a Project, "Are You Open to Doing a Vita Version?", PlayStation LifeStyle, January 22, 2016, April 5, 2016, April 19, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160419085940weblink">weblink live, At the 2016 Game Developers Conference, research analyst firm EEDAR estimated the sales of the Vita to be about at 10 million units sold through the end of 2015.WEB,weblink Platform Sales Worldwide Through December, 2015, EEDAR, March 23, 2016, en, April 11, 2016, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160327114242weblink">weblink March 27, 2016, mdy-all, Multi-platform releases with the PS4 have also incidentally helped sustain the Vita's stream of software, even in the west, through 2016 and 2017; games receive a Vita version more to appeal to Japan's larger Vita user-base, and receive a PS4 version more to appeal to North America's larger user-base.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita isn't dead, in Japan anyway, Tom, Phillips, September 13, 2016, eurogamer.net, February 17, 2017, February 8, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170208035459weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Our Guide to Japanese Games 2017 Heading West, December 15, 2016, playstationlifestyle.net, February 17, 2017, February 8, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170208035958weblink">weblink live, The March 2017 launch of the Nintendo Switch, which operates on a similar concept of providing high budget video games on a portable unit, further overshadowed the Vita, though niche support through indie games and JRPGs continued into the year.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita's Rebirth as a Boutique Platform, glixel.com, July 7, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170706181009weblink">weblink July 6, 2017, dead, In mid-2017, Glixel estimated the Vita userbase to be around 15 million.On September 20, 2018, Sony announced at Tokyo Game Show 2018 that the Vita would be discontinued in 2019, ending its hardware production.NEWS,weblink PS Vita production to end in 2019 in Japan - Gematsu, 2018-09-20, Gematsu, 2018-09-20, en-US, September 20, 2018,weblink live, WEB,weblink PSクラシックã®åŽéŒ²ã‚¿ã‚¤ãƒˆãƒ«ã¯æ—¥æœ¬ã¨æµ·å¤–ã§ç•°ãªã‚‹ã€æºå¸¯æ©Ÿã®æ–°åž‹ã«ã¤ã„ã¦ã¯ç¾æ™‚点ã§ç™ºè¡¨ã®äºˆå®šãªã—。SIE織田æ°åˆåŒã‚¤ãƒ³ã‚¿ãƒ“ュー抜粋ã€TGS2018】 - ファミ通.com, ファミ通.com, September 20, 2018, ja, 2018-09-20, September 20, 2018,weblink live, Production of new physical Vita games in Europe and America ceased by the end of Sony's 2018 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2019.NEWS,weblink Sony Ends Production Of Physical Vita Games, Schreier, Jason, Jason Schreier, Kotaku, 2018-09-20, en-US, August 6, 2020,weblink live, At the time of the announcement, USgamer estimated that the Vita userbase had grown to approximately 16 million units.WEB,weblink PS Vita Production in Japan Will End in 2019, No Successor Planned, USgamer.net, September 20, 2018, en, 2018-10-02, May 14, 2019,weblink live, Production of Vita hardware officially ended on March 1, 2019.WEB,weblink PS Vita production ended in Japan, March 1, 2019, April 11, 2020, February 18, 2020,weblink live, In March 2021, Sony announced that the Vita's online storefront would be closing on August 27, 2021, making it impossible to purchase digital games for the platform, though still allowing for the download of previously purchased games; this decision was later reversed following consumer feedback.WEB, Important notice,weblink 2021-04-02, www.playstation.com, April 1, 2021,weblink live, NEWS, 2021-04-19, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita Will Continue Operations, en-US, PlayStation.Blog,weblink 2021-05-23, May 20, 2021,weblink live,Hardware
(File:PlayStation Vita Layout.svg|800px|center)In line with Sony's ambition to combine aspects of traditional video game consoles with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, the Vita contains a multitude of input methods. The device features a "super oval" shape similar to the design of the original PlayStation Portable, with a {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on}} qHD OLED capacitive touchscreen in the centre of the device.WEB,weblink Sony outs tech specs for NGP, Johnny Cullen, January 24, 2011, VG247, January 25, 2011, January 30, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110130043127weblink">weblink live, The device features two analog sticks, a D-pad, a set of standard PlayStation face buttons ((File:PlayStationTriangle.svg|16px|Triangle), (File:PlayStationCircle.svg|16px|Circle), (File:PlayStationX.svg|16px|Cross) and (File:PlayStationSquare.svg|16px|Square)), two shoulder buttons (L and R), a PlayStation button and Start and Select buttons. Motion control is also possible through Sony's Sixaxis motion sensing system, consisting of a three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis accelerometer. In addition to these input methods, specific to just the Vita, is a secondary touchpad that is on the back of the device.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita's rear pad a touchy subject, December 30, 2016, December 24, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161224134835weblink">weblink live, Other hardware includes stereo speakers, a microphone, built-in Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity, and two cameras. The cameras are both 0.3 megapixel and run at 640×480 (VGA) at 60 frames/s, or at 320×240 at 120 frames/s.WEB,weblink Official PlayStation website: PlayStation Vita, PS Vita; Specifications for PlayStationVita, March 7, 2011, January 7, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120107200613weblink">weblink live, They can be used to take photos or videos using built-in applications on the system. The two cameras feature the abilities of face detection, head detection, and head tracking.WEB,weblink Sony Next Generation Portable (NGP) GDC panel – Gallery, March 3, 2011, Joystiq, March 5, 2011, June 29, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110629132127weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Sony Next Generation Portable (NGP) GDC panel – Gallery, March 3, 2011, Joystiq, March 5, 2011, June 29, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110629132127weblink">weblink live, The platform also launched with a model with 3G mobile data support, which required a separate data plan through a data provider.WEB,weblink Andrew House talks Sony NGP price, 3G version, more, Oli Welsh, January 27, 2011, Eurogamer, February 19, 2011, February 1, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110201060349weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110226075005weblink">weblink dead, February 26, 2011, Prijs en release periode Next Generation Portable, Martijn Müller, February 18, 2011, NG-Gamer, February 18, 2011, The 3G service has been partnered with NTT DoCoMo in Japan, AT&T in the US, Rogers in Canada and Vodafone in Europe and Australia. The 3G model was discontinued in 2013 and not made available in the system's future revised models.WEB,weblink PS Vita fire sale in Sony stores could signal plans to axe 3G model, Sam, Byford, March 12, 2013, December 30, 2016, December 22, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161222081137weblink">weblink live, (File:Sony Playstation Vita Memory Card 16GB.jpg|thumb|right|The proprietary PlayStation Vita memory card (16 GB version))Internally, the device features a custom system on chip with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and a quad-core GPU SGX543MP4+.WEB,weblink How do the PS Vita's specs stack up against the competition?, February 22, 2012, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223131646weblink">weblink live, Sony has stated that the Vita generally runs well under its full clock speed due to overheating and battery consumption issues that would ensue, instead placing its processing power "around halfway between the current PSP and the PS3". The Vita's internal battery has between 3–5 hours of power for game playing, depending on the processing power required for the game, screen brightness, sound level and network connections, as well as other factors.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita battery life is 3-5 hours, September 3, 2016, April 28, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160428072006weblink">weblink live, Additionally, the battery can supply about five hours for video watching, and up to nine hours of music listening with the screen off.WEB, PLAYSTATIONVITA,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110929051332weblink">weblink dead, September 29, 2011, September 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment, December 17, 2011, The system does allow for additional external battery solutions as well.WEB, Richard George,weblink TGS: Vita Will Have External Battery Option – PSP News at IGN, September 16, 2011, Uk.psp.ign.com, June 5, 2012, May 22, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120522154012weblink">weblink live, The PlayStation Vita has 512 MB of system RAM and 128 MB of VRAM.WEB,weblink "PlayStationVita" Expands Its Entertainment Experience by Introducing Various Applications for Social Networking Services and Communications, SYS-CON Media, PR Newswire, August 17, 2011, August 17, 2011, September 17, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110917052726weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Sony: why PS Vita has 512 MB of RAM News – PlayStation Vita – Page 1 {{!, Eurogamer.net|website=Eurogamer|date=August 18, 2011|access-date=August 18, 2011|archive-date=August 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827054601weblink|url-status=live}} The amount of RAM allows cross-game chat to be used on the system.Software for the PlayStation Vita is distributed on a proprietary flash memory card called "PlayStation Vita game card" rather than on Universal Media Discs (UMDs) as used by the PlayStation Portable.WEB,weblink Sony's next PSP, codenamed NGP, Vlad Savov, January 27, 2011, Engadget, AOL, January 29, 2011, March 15, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120315040053weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Types of card media, Manuals.playstation.net, August 23, 2012, September 11, 2012, August 29, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120829050139weblink">weblink live, The shape and size of the card itself is very similar to an SD card. 5–10% of the game card's space is reserved for game save data and patches.WEB,weblink NGP games will come on 2 GB and 4 GB cards (with higher capacity game cards being released in the future), with room for save data, patches, Christopher Grant, March 3, 2011, Joystiq, March 5, 2011, June 20, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120620223026weblink">weblink live, The PS Vita is incompatible with standard memory cards, such as SD cards, and instead stores data on proprietary PS Vita memory cards, which are available in sizes of 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GBWEB,weblink Review: PlayStation Vita [updated for US launch], AOL, Engadget, December 20, 2016, December 21, 2016,weblink live, and 64 GB. Initially, a maximum of 100 applications and games can be stored on the device at a time, regardless of data storage available.PS Vita System Software Update 3.10 Coming Soon {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402004523weblink |date=April 2, 2014 }}. PlayStation Blog. Retrieved on March 25, 2014. When the limit is reached, applications or games must be moved or deleted in order to access those beyond the limit.WEB, Gilbert, Ben, The PlayStation Vita only holds 100 content bubbles, regardless of available memory,weblink Engadget, January 20, 2013, January 20, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130120003411weblink">weblink live, This limit was later raised to 500 applications in system software version 3.10 released in 2014.WEB, 2014-03-24, PS Vita System Software Update 3.10,weblink 2023-01-29, PlayStation.Blog, en-US, January 29, 2023,weblink live, Due to the high price of official Sony memory cards, inexpensive third-party "SD2Vita" adapter cards which allow the use of commodity micro SD storage media in conjunction with a modified console appeared on the market.WEB, Harding, Chris, 2023-01-04, New PS Vita Browser Exploit Makes Installing Custom Firmware Easier Than Ever,weblink 2023-01-28, DualShockers, en, January 28, 2023,weblink live,Remote Play interactivity with PlayStation 4
All games developed for the PlayStation 4, with the exception of games requiring the use of special peripherals such as PlayStation Camera, are playable on the Vita through Remote Play.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130607222837weblink">weblink dead, June 7, 2013, PlayStation 4 devs required to support Vita Remote Play – Report, Gaston, Martin, GameSpot, May 29, 2013, May 29, 2013, WEB,weblink PS4 developer: Sony mandates Vita Remote Play for all games, Leadbetter, Richard, Eurogamer.net, May 29, 2013, May 29, 2013, May 29, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130529165019weblink">weblink live, With the use of a Vita, PS4, and PS4 game, this allows a PS4 game to be run on the PS4, but its output transmitted to the Vita, with the Vita being used for the controller input, and the image and sound being transmitted to the Vita's screen and speakers instead of a television. The end result is similar to what a Wii U console does with its GamePad controller through Off-TV Play.NEWS, PlayStation 4 supports remote play on PlayStation Vita, Jon Fingas, Engadget,weblink February 20, 2013, February 20, 2013, February 21, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130221003102weblink">weblink live, The Vita technically has Remote Play functionality with the PlayStation 3 as well, though very few PS3 games supported the feature due to limitations with the less-powerful PS3 hardware.WEB, Parfitt, Ben,weblink PS4-Vita Remote Play enabled at a system level, MCV, June 14, 2013, Mcvuk.com, July 10, 2013, June 18, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130618013142weblink">weblink live, More PS3 games are available for streaming on the Vita through Sony's cloud gaming service PlayStation Now, though they are streamed over the internet in the form of cloud computing rather than directly from a physical PS3 console.WEB,weblink PlayStation™Now PS4™, PS3™, PS Vita and PS TV™ Open Beta Now Live!, playstation.com, November 11, 2015, July 31, 2015,weblink live, First implemented in 2014, the service was announced to be discontinued on the Vita on August 15, 2017.WEB,weblink Sony ending PlayStation Now support on PS3, Vita and more, Samit, Sarkar, February 15, 2017, Polygon, July 7, 2017, July 30, 2017,weblink live,Revised model
(File:PlayStation-Vita-2001-FL.jpg|thumb|The second-generation PS Vita system, PCH-2000)A revised model of the Vita was released in Japan on October 10, 2013, in Europe on February 7, 2014WEB, Karmali, Luke, PS Vita Slim Announced For The UK,weblink IGN, January 30, 2014, February 1, 2014, and in North America on May 6, 2014.WEB,weblink New PS Vita Model Confirmed for US, Included in Borderlands 2 Bundle, John Koller, February 10, 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment, February 12, 2014, June 3, 2020,weblink live, The revised model, officially called the PCH-2000 series2013-09-09, ã€é€Ÿå ±ã€‘æ–°åž‹PS VitaãŒ10月10日より19929円(税込)ã§ç™ºå£²ï¼ã€SCEJAプレスカンファレンス】 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912085430weblink |date=September 12, 2013 }}, Famitsu and commonly referred to as the PS Vita Slim,WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita Slim, re-reviewed: Sony's handheld comes of age, December 30, 2016, December 22, 2016,weblink live, is 20% thinner and 15% lighter compared to the original model. While it largely maintains the original's overall structure and layout, the original's OLED screen has been replaced with a lower-cost LCD display. The model also roughly added about an extra hour of battery life.WEB,weblink Sony announces thinner and lighter PlayStation Vita, The Verge, September 8, 2013, Souppouris, Aaron, September 10, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130910200920weblink">weblink live, The newer model also comes with 1 GB of internal storage memory, although it is not possible to use both the internal memory and memory card concurrently.2013-10-11, PS Vita Slim internal storage not usable with a memory card {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013181238weblink |date=October 13, 2013 }}, JustPushStart Upon inserting a PS Vita memory card, the system will offer to copy the existing data from the internal memory to the new card.WEB,weblink Transferring data from the internal memory card, manuals.playstation.net, January 27, 2014, February 19, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150219030031weblink">weblink live, This model has a micro USB Type B port, which can be used to charge the device along with any standard micro USB cable. The model was released in six colors in Japan (white, black, light blue, lime green, pink, and khaki), although it was only released in black and light blue in North America and Europe.WEB,weblink Sony Reveal PS Vita Slim Coming To The UK Next Week, New Titles Teased, Inglis, Blair, thesixthaxis.com, January 30, 2014, January 30, 2014, February 1, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140201182056weblink">weblink live,PlayStation TV
(File:PlayStation-TV-BL.jpg|thumb|A picture of the PlayStation Vita TV, showing the ports on its back side)The PlayStation TV is a non-portable variant of the Vita; instead of featuring its own display screen like a handheld video game console, it connects to a television via HDMI like a traditional home video game console, and is controlled though the use of a DualShock 3 or DualShock 4 controller.WEB,weblink PS Vita TV – Release date, price, and specs, GamesRadar, September 9, 2013, September 18, 2013, October 29, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131029200148weblink">weblink live, Due to the difference in controller input between the Vita and a DualShock controller, Vita games that are dependent on the system's touch-screen, rear touchpad, microphone, or camera are not compatible.2013-09-09, weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131029195146weblink">SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INTRODUCES PLAYSTATION(R) VITA TV (Corporate Release), Sony Computer Entertainment It also shares the Remote Play and PS Now functionality of a regular Vita. The system was released in Japan in November 2013,WEB, Ashcraft, Brian, September 9, 2013, Introducing PS Vita...TV,weblink live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130921224753weblink">weblink September 21, 2013, September 18, 2013, Kotaku, Kotaku.com, in North America in October 2014, and in Europe on November 14, 2014.2014-08-12, Gamescom 2014: PlayStation TV Launches in October, Bringing PS4 Remote Play to Your TV {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812114618weblink |date=August 12, 2018 }}, Gamespot The device did not fare well and had a short retail shelf life in North America and Europe, where it was discontinued at the end of 2015.Software
Game library
{{Further|Lists of PlayStation Vita games|List of cancelled PlayStation Vita games}}(File:PSVita game card minus artwork.jpg|thumb|right|PlayStation Vita game card)Physical software for the Vita is distributed on a proprietary flash memory card called "PlayStation Vita game card". All Vita games are also made available to be downloaded digitally on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store,MAGAZINE,weblink Vita Games Will All Be Downloadable, Sony Confirms, Jason, Schreier, Wired, Jason Schreier, December 30, 2016, August 4, 2020,weblink live, although not all games are released physically.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita Could Shift Towards Digital-Only, Mike, Williams, January 13, 2014, December 30, 2016, May 10, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170510175909weblink">weblink dead, Since its launch, digital-only releases have slowly become more prominent, partially in an effort to reduce production costs for release on the platform's comparatively smaller user-base, and partially due to the influx smaller-scale indie mobile phone games that have always been digital-only releases. Like the PS3 and PS4, the Vita contains Trophy support for games.MAGAZINE,weblink Sony's NGP Uses Flash Media, Proprietary Memory Cards, And Trophy Support, Game Informer, January 28, 2011, January 30, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110130062627weblink">weblink live, The system was designed so that it would be easy for developers to extract PS3 game assets and in turn use them to make Vita versions of games. Prior to the Vita's release, several third-party studios showcased tech demos of the device by exporting existing assets from their PlayStation 3 counterpart and then rendering them on the device, high budget examples including (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots), Yakuza 4, and Lost Planet.WEB,weblink Metal Gear Solid 4, Lost Planet, Yakuza Shown In PSP2 Form, Michael McWhertor, January 27, 2011, Kotaku, Gawker Media, January 25, 2011, January 30, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110130062049weblink">weblink live, While none of these particular high budget tech demos materialized into actual game releases, and few big-budget Western games would be made for both outside of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,WEB,weblink PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale Review (PS Vita), November 20, 2012, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223063045weblink">weblink live, many Japanese development teams would go on to develop mid-level games that would release for both platforms, including the first two games from Falcom's Trails of Cold Steel series, Compile Hearts' original Hyperdimension Neptunia trilogy, and many entries from Tecmo Koei's Atelier and Dynasty Warriors series. The trend continued on the PS4 as well, with Vita/PS4 releases becoming common due to the spread of their userbases – Vita versions for Japan, where the Vita was larger in its initial years, and PS4 versions of games for North America and Europe, where the PS4 userbase was substantially larger. Few PlayStation 2 titles were ported to the Vita due to the PS2's complicated infrastructure – games that did, such as Final Fantasy X/X2 Remaster and Persona 4 Golden required extensive reworking,WEB,weblink Final Fantasy X's Original Idea And Other Reflections From Yoshinori Kitase, November 8, 2013, December 30, 2016, February 12, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140212081252weblink">weblink live, or were based on their PS3 counterparts, such as Jak and Daxter Collection, Ratchet and Clank Collection, and Sly Cooper Collection. Towards the end of its lifespan, Vita versions of games began to be cancelled, in favor of PS4 or Nintendo Switch releases.WEB,weblink Citing 'Sony's plans to discontinue the Vita,' Bloodstained dev cancels port, Alissa, McAloon, www.gamasutra.com, August 20, 2018, December 1, 2018, December 1, 2018,weblink live,Backward compatibility
The device is backward compatible with most PSP games; however, its lack of a UMD disc drive limits this capability to those titles which have been digitally released on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store, but not physical PSP games or films.WEB,weblink Sony US FAQ, Sony, October 14, 2011, Sony, October 19, 2011, October 16, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111016230730weblink">weblink live, The Vita is also backward compatible with the majority of the PS one Classics – the group of PlayStation 1 games Sony has made available digitally for download, and PlayStation Minis – small-budget downloadable titles originally created for the PSP and PS3.WEB,weblink Next Generation Portable (NGP): All the early details, Jeff Rubenstein, January 27, 2011, PlayStation Blog, Sony Computer Entertainment, January 29, 2011, June 6, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110606080834weblink">weblink live, Games from Sony's PlayStation Mobile initiative had initially been compatible but were removed when the service was shut down in September 2015.WEB,weblink PlayStation Mobile Will Power Down on July 15th, Gerald Lynch, Gizmodo UK, November 11, 2015, March 15, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150315021608weblink">weblink live, In Japan, select downloadable PC Engine and PocketStation titles became backward compatible as well.2013-11-04, Play Chocobo World On Vita, PocketStation Is A Downloadable App In Japan {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717190354weblink |date=July 17, 2017 }}, SiliconeraApplications
A number of applications are available to run on the Vita, some initially pre-loaded on the device, while others are available via Sony's PlayStation Store. Pre-loaded apps include an internet browser,WEB,weblink Review: PlayStation Vita [updated for US launch], December 30, 2016, December 21, 2016,weblink live, a "Content Manager" app for monitoring data saved to the device, an email client, a music app,WEB,weblink Apps, December 30, 2016, March 26, 2017,weblink live, a photo app, and a video player. The system's web browser supports HTML5, cookies, and JavaScript, but not Adobe Flash.WEB,weblink News – Report: PlayStation Vita Browser Supports HTML5, But Not Flash, Gamasutra, September 11, 2012, July 25, 2019,weblink dead, Also included was "Near", a social media/GPS like app that allowed the user to see other Vita players in the area, and what games or applications they had been using, with the opportunity for some limited interactivity and communication, although most of its functionality was disabled in 2015.WEB,weblink PS Vita will soon lose Maps, YouTube app, and much of Near, January 28, 2015, December 30, 2016, March 10, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170310041440weblink">weblink live, A number of other third party apps commonly found on mobile devices have also been made available on the Vita: Crunchyroll,WEB, LeFebvre, Robert M., The 7 Best PS Vita Apps to Download in 2019,weblink Lifewire, May 28, 2019, en, May 3, 2019, May 28, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink New PS Vita Apps: Hulu Plus, Redbox Instant, Crunchyroll, More, March 18, 2014, December 30, 2016, December 26, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161226041159weblink">weblink, live, Facebook (removed in 2015),WEB, https:www.playstation.com/en-gb/get-help/help-library/apps---features/playstation-apps---features/playstation-vita-terminated-apps/, PlayStation Vita terminated apps, December 30, 2016, September 15, 2017,weblink live, WEB,weblink PS3, Vita closing down Facebook support, Owen S., Good, Polygon (website), Polygon, September 16, 2015, December 30, 2016, December 28, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161228224959weblink">weblink live, Flickr (broken),WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita Flickr App walkthrough, December 30, 2016, May 10, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170510174052weblink">weblink live, Google Maps (removed in 2015),WEB,weblink Sony is now actually removing features from PlayStation Vita [Updated], January 28, 2015, December 30, 2016, December 21, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161221091107weblink">weblink live, Hulu, Live Tweet (Sony's third-party client for Twitter), MLB.tv (broken), Netflix,WEB,weblink Netflix (for PlayStation Vita), December 30, 2016, May 10, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170510094908weblink">weblink live, Redbox Instant (discontinued), Skype (removed in 2016),WEB,weblink PSP & PS Vita Skype Support Ending on June 22, March 23, 2016, December 30, 2016, December 18, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161218163954weblink">weblink live, TuneIn (broken), Twitch, WeatherNation and YouTube (removed in 2015). Facebook, Flickr, Google Maps, Twitter and YouTube no longer function as Vita apps, but continue to be available by using the Vita's web browser.System software
(File:PlayStation Vita LiveArea.png|thumb|Live Area, the user interface for the Vita)Unlike the PSP and PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita does not use the XrossMediaBar interface. Instead, it uses a touchscreen-based UI dubbed LiveArea, which includes various social networking features via the PlayStation Network. Each game or application is represented by its own circle icon, and selecting it leads the user to a panel with multiple options present, including running software itself, going to its respective website through the internet, seeing if there are downloadable updates available for the software, and seeing a newsfeed-like list of activities related to it, such as installing it or obtaining trophies, for both the user and others the user has interacted with recently.WEB,weblink All About PlayStation Vita, from Tokyo Game Show 2011, Owen, Good, September 15, 2011, December 30, 2016, December 21, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161221235149weblink">weblink live,Reception and sales
(File:Bildvergleich PS Vita.jpg|thumb|Comparison of the PCH-1000 (white) and PCH-2000 (red), showing the differing displays used)According to review aggregator Metacritic, the Vita's original hardware release was generally well-received with critics, although a few concerns persisted as well.WEB,weblink Hardware Review: PlayStation Vita, Metacritic, December 30, 2016, December 31, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161231011802weblink">weblink live, Metacritic editor Jason Dietz noted that reviewers tended to praise the Vita's actual hardware design and operating system, but expressed some concern on its practicality, namely competing in 2012 onward, with a large size and price, where mobile phones with large screens and cheap games were prevalent as an alternative. As of its initial Western launch in February 2012, out of 44 professional critic reviews, 9 fell in the "Great" rating, 29 in the "Good" rating, 6 in the "Mixed" rating, and 0 in the "Bad" or "Awful" rating.Its initial launch sales were generally seen as positive, selling over 300,000 units in Japan,WEB,weblink PS Vita sales to top 12.4 million with price cut – Research firm, December 30, 2016, October 21, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161021085825weblink">weblink live, and 200,000 units in North America.WEB,weblink Report: Wii U, Vita continue poor US sales performance in March, April 19, 2013, December 30, 2016, December 22, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161222061620weblink">weblink live, However, a large dropoff occurred in both regions. In Japan, second-week sales dropped 78%, and leveled off at selling about 12,000 units per week. Similarly, sales dropped off to about 30,000 to 50,000 units sold per month for the year after launch in North America. Overall, Sony fell far short of the worldwide sales targets of 10 million Vitas sold by the end of March 2013.MAGAZINE,weblink Sony Aims To Sell 10M PlayStation Vita By March, Daniel, Feit, Wired, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink live, The device sold 1.2 million units as of the end of February 2012,WEB,weblink Sony updates PS Vita sales figures: 'over 1.2 million units worldwide', 2 million in software, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink live, 4 million by the end of 2012,WEB,weblink PlayStation 2 manufacture ends after 12 years, Keith, Stuart, January 4, 2013, The Guardian, January 21, 2017, March 5, 2017,weblink live, and were only estimated by analysts to have reached 6 million by the end of 2013,WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita: Two Years Later, Colin, Moriarty, December 17, 2013, December 30, 2016, November 4, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161104050714weblink">weblink live, figures that have not been confirmed due to Sony's ceasing to release Vita sales figures after hitting the 4 million mark at the end of 2012.WEB,weblink PS Vita 2016 Games: Is it Better to Burn Bright Than to Fade Away?, February 4, 2016, December 30, 2016, December 29, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161229232827weblink">weblink live, Views on the hardware dropped to more moderate levels in 2013, after the platform's initial sales lulls. Surveys in Japan showed that consumers were not purchasing the device due to its high retail price and perceived lack of software variety,WEB, Gifford, Kevin, February 20, 2013, SCE Japan head says PlayStation Vita is 'a little behind the numbers',weblink live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223132054weblink">weblink December 23, 2016, December 30, 2016, Polygon (website), Polygon, and that current Vita owners only showed a 46% rate of approval for the device and its software library.WEB, Gifford, Kevin, May 8, 2013, PS Vita gets mixed scores in Japan user-satisfaction survey,weblink live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223132447weblink">weblink December 23, 2016, December 30, 2016, Polygon (website), Polygon, Similarly, many Western critics felt that the low sales through 2013 would lead to an early death for the product.WEB,weblink Life support: can Sony save the PlayStation Vita?, Sam, Byford, February 22, 2013, December 30, 2016, January 7, 2022,weblink live, WEB,weblink Analyst: PS Vita Sold 4.2 Million Units in 2013, January 23, 2014, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223064305weblink">weblink live, MAGAZINE,weblink 7 Signs PlayStation Vita Is a Disaster, Andrew, Groen, Wired, December 30, 2016, March 8, 2021,weblink live, From 2013 onward, Sony was able to reverse the trajectory of the system by changing focus, aiming to be more of a niche product than one with mass market appeal – focusing more on small Western mobile phone games and mid-level Japanese developed games, and attaching it to the rise of popularity of its PlayStation 4 platform with its remote play connectivity functions.WEB,weblink Fergal Gara on PlayStation Vita: "It's proving remarkably resilient", September 12, 2014, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223065954weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink PS Vita: A Companion Device Sold as a Game System – Hardcore Gamer, June 21, 2014, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223063724weblink">weblink live, Sony also released the Vita model revision, the PCH-2000, which was generally well received by critics as well for addressing a number of prior complaints about the system, which included a price and size reduction.WEB,weblink PlayStation Vita PCH-2000 review, David, Bierton, Eurogamer, February 7, 2014, December 30, 2016, January 16, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170116192410weblink">weblink live, However, reviewers felt more mixed on the decision to change from OLED to LCD screen in the revised model,WEB,weblink Sony PlayStation Vita Slim (PCH-2000), December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223064544weblink">weblink live, with some feeling it led to a minor downgrade in image quality.WEB, Smith, Mat, PlayStation Vita review (2013),weblink live,weblink December 23, 2016, December 30, 2016, Engadget, While not giving specific figures, Sony stated that Vita sales beat projections in North America in 2014, which it was happy and surprised with, sometimes even falling out of stock.WEB,weblink Sony Happy With PS Vita Sales in the US, Sold More Last Year Than Internally Targeted, June 25, 2015, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223063210weblink">weblink live, Similar response was found in the UK as well. The platform has been considered to have sold well in Japan,WEB,weblink Sony: climate "not healthy" for PlayStation Vita successor, Tom, Phillips, Eurogamer, September 26, 2015, December 30, 2016, November 15, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161115150347weblink">weblink live, where it outsold the PS4 in 2015,WEB,weblink Your PS Vita may be gathering dust, but it's no console failure, January 30, 2016, December 30, 2016, and reached 5 million units sold in 2016 according to sales tracker Media Create.WEB,weblink Japanese Sales Chart: PS Vita Sales Cross 5 Million, June 1, 2016, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223063944weblink">weblink live, It also obtained million-selling software in the same year, with the Japanese Vita release of Minecraft.WEB,weblink Minecraft for PS Vita tops one million sales in Japan – Gematsu, May 12, 2016, December 30, 2016, By the end of 2015, research firm EEDAR estimated the sales of the Vita worldwide to be around 10 million.WEB,weblink Xbox One Sales At 20 Million, PS4 Nearly 40 Million, According To EEDAR Study « GamingBolt.com: Video Game News, Reviews, Previews and Blog, December 30, 2016, Despite the smaller userbase, the platform continued to be viable for game releases into 2017 due to the high attach rate of software sold per hardware user.WEB,weblink PS Vita's indie assault: Devs reveal why they're rallying behind Sony's handheld, September 5, 2013, December 30, 2016, WEB,weblink PS Vita could be the first post-retail system, January 29, 2015, December 30, 2016, December 23, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161223065959weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Sony's Gio Corsi: We Always Say When Starting a Project, "Are You Open to Doing a Vita Version?", January 21, 2016, December 30, 2016, February 28, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170228020316weblink">weblink live, Limited Run Games and various indie game developers praised the platform for its wide selection of more original and niche video games, and the strong respective sales of them. In mid-2017, Glixel estimated that approximately 15 million units of the system had been sold, while by September 2018, USGamer estimated it had grown to about 16 million units.In a 2021 retrospective by The Verge, Sony employees attributed several factors to the Vita's poor sales in contrast to the PSP, which had an estimated 80 million sales in its lifetime; a similar drop had been seen by Nintendo with its transition from the Nintendo DS to the Nintendo 3DS.WEB,weblink 'The Little Handheld That Could': Examining The Vita's Impact A Decade Later, George, Yang, June 24, 2021, June 24, 2021, The Verge, June 24, 2021,weblink live, Christian Phillips, a former senior director in Sony, said they had underestimated the impact of mobile gaming at the time of the Vita's release. They had considered gaming on smartphones to be "just good enough for gameplay" and instead felt tablet computers to be more their competitors to the Vita, according to Phillips. While some technologists in Sony had cautioned that mobile device computational power could outpace current consoles around 2010–2011, the design of the Vita did not incorporate this caution. Thus, the Vita was released at the same time that mobile gaming was greatly expanding, losing potential consumers to that market.John Koller, the former vice president of marketing at Sony, also believed that the Vita had been released too late into the main PlayStation console cycle and too close to the PlayStation 4's release in November 2013. As one of Sony's flagship products, many of their first-party developers had put more focus on games for that system rather than the Vita as a result. The lack of interest from Sony's first-party teams reverberated to third-party developers, who felt the Vita was not worth the effort to develop for over the upcoming PlayStation 4, leaving the Vita without a strong software library. Koller believed that if the Vita had launched earlier into the PlayStation 3's lifecycle, they would have been able to capture more interest from developers during that time and build out a more compelling library for the Vita.Legacy and impact
The Vita was considered a commercial failure for Sony.WEB,weblink Sony shouldn't have killed the Vita, Engadget, Conditt, Jessica, April 1, 2022, June 1, 2023, May 25, 2023,weblink live, In 2018, Sony announced there would be no successor to the Vita/PSP line of handhelds.WEB,weblink No plans for a Vita successor, Sony says, Eurogamer, Yin-Poole, Wesley, 20 September 2018, 1 June 2023, May 25, 2023,weblink live, With the success of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck handhelds moving into the 2020s, publications questioned Sony's decision to abandon the market. In 2023, Sony announced "Project Q", a controller with an 8-inch screen for the PlayStation 5 that would replicate the experience of remote play on a Vita or Off-TV Play of the Wii U GamePad. The product was later named PlayStation Portal and was released on November 15, 2023.WEB,weblink PlayStation's Project Q: Everything we know about the new handheld, Gamesradar+, Robertson, Duncan, May 25, 2023, 1 June 2023, May 25, 2023,weblink live, WEB, 2023-08-23, PlayStation's first Remote Play dedicated device, PlayStation Portal remote player, to launch later this year at $199.99,weblink 2023-08-23, PlayStation.Blog, en-US,Notes
{{Reflist|group=note}}References
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{{Commons category}}- Official website – United States
- Official website – United Kingdom {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023041722weblink |date=October 23, 2014 }}
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