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[JonnyDBrit]

The Nintendo Switch is a portable powerful enough to play full scale console games, even if a generation behind graphically. In portable mode, the most direct comparison for functionality, it runs Breath of the Wild at 720p with a near locked 30 fps. It runs Mario Kart 8D at a locked 60 fps. The Vita chugged in trying to play a pared down Borderlands 2, I honestly don't believe a binned overclock would be enough to solve that - certainly not while upping the screen resolution to 720p, which is like a 70% increase in pixel count over the Vita's original qHD screen. If anything, the games would have to get worse graphically to counterbalance that.

Meanwhile, a revised Vita wouldn't have the same chance of third party ports that the Switch does (itself behind PS4 and XBO in that regard), so it would be the one relying on a value proposition of its exclusives, vs the Switch. The DS won that battle between it and the PSP, and the 3DS won against the Vita. Now, it's Switch that has the exclusives and tech advantage, so no, I do not think a Vita revision would hold up with that stratagem.

If Sony want to contest in the handheld market, they would need to create new hardware, which is its own mess.

 

[GregLombardi]

First mover advantage. Also Nintendo is coming out swinging. The device and its software landscape are the strongest I've seen from Nintendo since SNES probably. This sort of effort would be a tough mountain to climb, and Sony doesn't necessarily have a reason to wade into this space. They have the high end console model basically locked up.

Maybe within 5 years they would find interest, but even then their efforts would probably be better spent elsewhere.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

This wouldnt work at all. For one, the Vita has literally no mindshare. People aren't gonna buy a Vita because it got a revision.

 

[Huge Succeeded]

You would have to overclock the Vita until it melts and becomes vapor to get it anywhere near on par w/Switch

 

[KodaRuss]

I am sure they are looking at it right now but I think they are comfortable when/if Nintendo takes the #2 spot.

I would love to have PS4 games on the go but damn that would be an expensive console for them to make and what the price would be for consumers.

 

[ss_lemonade]

Is a simple clock bump all that's needed to get vita games up to 720p? Some games were even sub native on it.

Not having TV out never made much sense to me. PSP's had TV out, and the Go even had dualshock compatibility. Dev vita units HDMI out too correct? Was that what the unused port on the Vita was supposed to be used for?

 

[jroc74]

The Nintendo Switch is a portable powerful enough to play full scale console games, even if a generation behind graphically. In portable mode, the most direct comparison for functionality, it runs Breath of the Wild at 720p with a near locked 30 fps. It runs Mario Kart 8D at a locked 60 fps. The Vita chugged in trying to play a pared down Borderlands 2, I honestly don't believe a binned overclock would be enough to solve that - certainly not while upping the screen resolution to 720p, which is like a 70% increase in pixel count over the Vita's original qHD screen. If anything, the games would have to get worse graphically to counterbalance that.

Meanwhile, a revised Vita wouldn't have the same chance of third party ports that the Switch does (itself behind PS4 and XBO in that regard), so it would be the one relying on a value proposition of its exclusives, vs the Switch. The DS won that battle between it and the PSP, and the 3DS won against the Vita. Now, it's Switch that has the exclusives and tech advantage, so no, I do not think a Vita revision would hold up with that stratagem.

If Sony want to contest in the handheld market, they would need to create new hardware, which is its own mess.

This is more of what I meant when i said I wanted to see another handheld from them.

Borderlands 2 is a perfect example. It was ambitious, and ok for what it was. But yea....an actual new handheld would be a better idea vs a Vita revision.

 

[FairFriend]

I've opened so many windows to quote you guys that the browser almost crashed. So I'll try to go over the major points that people have brought up:

You think Vita is selling poorly and people are moving to Switch because it's 720p?

No, of course. I think the two main reasons are: Nintendo IPs, Hybrid model. Regarding the latter Sony could offer the ability to output Vita games to the TV screen, but they'd look pretty blurry, hence the need for an overclocked SoC which should be able to render Vita quality games at 720p.

A Vita revision wouldnt counter the Switch. Sony isn't going to make a new handheld.

Switch isn't just an HDMI out enabled handheld, it also has a lot more power to use in docked mode.
To make something presentable in the TV you'd need a new system.

It depends on your definition of presentable. If one's happy with the graphics of, say, Killzone Mercenary, then those graphics could be achieved at 720p with an overclocked SoC.

The success of the Switch is an indication that there is always the market for Nintendo handheld. Sony is not Nintendo, hence another Sony handheld will be met with another foreseeable failure.

To some degree the Vita has sustained itself without the help from Sony, and I think that pushing some of the more beloved historic IPs would go a long way establishing the Vita as a viable platform in the eyes of the general audience.

The point is, you don't counter a hybrid with a souped up portable. Now a hybrid PS4, I'd be all over that.

I understand this view, but that's not feasible for the moment and in Japan the Vita has seen some success, which I believe could be amplified by "imitating" what the Switch is doing.

There's obviously no way that title is bait.

Perhaps it is poorly worded, or perhaps my assumption is out there that people misinterpret my intentions, but I'm not that kind of poster.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

lol

.

 

[AlexM]

This is personally what I would have wanted. Better integration of my Vita and the ps4 and the ability for me to link the vita as a ps4 controller when I play at someone elses house.

The switch is just not doing the job for me as a handheld. I'm still taking my 3ds/vita on the go with me.

 

[DrROBschiz]

I want Sony to do it buuuuutt

It would have to be the same concept... which basically means it needa to somehow be powerful enough to run ps4 games nativeltly

anything less than that is a huge waste of time

The benefit of switch going forward is that they dont need to split ecosystems once the 3DS retires

Sony would need the same thing

 

[correojon]

What about games? It seems like a pretty important point OP left out. Is The Last of Us: Portable Season by a B-tier dev team supposed to compete with something like BotW or Mario Odissey where you have some of the best dev teams in the industry with a high budget and all the time and resources they need? What about local multiplayer? What could rival MK8 or Smash? And more portable experiences like Pokémon, what would steal the thunder of that?

IMO Vita failed because it was all about specs and paid little attention to the games themselves, specially the big first party AAA games that were supposed to make the system attractive. OP's plan just doubles down on that.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Isn't it also a problem that the Switch is using the X1 which is the best commercially used mobile gpu on the market with the X2 just being more power efficient.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

A Vita.

Jesus Christ.

 

[pixelation]

Sony doesn't need a handheld, it's a waste of resources. Let Nintendo do their thing.

This.

 

[nbnt]

You missed what makes the Switch appealing in the first place. People are buying it because it's a console you can take anywhere, not a handheld you can connect to the TV. People can't believe they're playing a console Zelda game while they're on a plane. You need a portable PS4 to counter that, not a failed handheld device that you can now hook to your TV.

 

[Huge Succeeded]

Killzone Mercenaries looks worse than KZ2 with smaller environments. It was a beautiful handheld game in 2013. It would not hold up well on a TV in 2017. And an overclock alone wouldn't get it to 720p.

 

[McLovin]

The vita could have been a success but they did that crap with the memory cards. You could say hindsight is 20/20 but everyone other then Sony saw it as bullshit. They are probably better off just focusing on console exclusives, maybe do the PC thing like MS.

 

[Tyraniboah]

I think your idea is very well thought out and it obviously is feasible. The thing I think a lot of people are missing about the success of the Switch is knowing that all of Nintendo's franchises are going to hit the Switch at some point. No need to buy a Wii U and a 3DS to get access to everything Nintendo publishes. Sony will never do that under any circumstances, and that's okay. The Vita is still a good system and it had a good run, but I do think it's time to accept that Sony doesn't seem capable of supporting more than one platform as well as they could support a single platform. I'd be surprised if any PSVR announcements next E3 are anything beyond token "PSVR still has a presence" announcements. Let Sony dominate with just their one platform as opposed to clamoring for them to support a hybrid/handheld, VR, and home consoles.

 

[Geno Breaker]

They don't need to counter anything since the PS4 is still dominating.

 

[bobbychalkers]

They would need more than a souped up Vita to be able to compete with the Switch. Sony would also need to demonstrate that they are capable of supporting a handheld for the long term as well. Nintendo has their A teams on handheld games. Me too versions of console franchises made by much smaller external devs does not instill confidence.

 

[RootCause]

Isn't it also a problem that the Switch is using the X1 which is the best commercially used mobile gpu on the market with the X2 just being more power efficient.

Powervr on the A9X is better, and more energy efficient. Though, I don't see why they should make another handheld after the Vita failure. Seems like a complete waste of resources.

 

[DrROBschiz]

We need a Ps4 level mobile chip or at least something that can run those games at Ps4 slim level

Thats the bottom line and I dont see it happening and am not sure its even possible yet

 

[low-G]

Sony should also make a PC OS to compete with Windows, right?

 

[SummitAve]

Who needs Mario or Zelda on the go when you could be playing Crash and Knack!?

 

[UnemployedVillain]

This would have no chance of success. Some of you almost consistently fail to realize Sony can't manage 2 platforms, and won't ever dedicate real resources to their handheld.

No one buys a Nintendo handheld and worries if Nintendo would only release small scale, "console lite" efforts on it. No one ever worried if there would be exclusive handheld series that were well made. With the PSP that was up in the air, and with the Vita...well Gravity Rush 2 being PS4 exclusive is all that needs to be said

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Who needs Mario or Zelda on the go when you could be playing Crash and Knack!?

Crash is dope. Don't hate

 

[DrROBschiz]

A true portable PS4 would be amazing

Just seems incredible difficult to do if its even possible with todays mobile tech

I mean switch is top of the line mobile tech... mostly and even then it was a challenge to make it what it is


Seriously guys. Unified architecture is a hard requirement going forward

Split ecosystems is over

 

[_Ryo_]

To counter the Switch, Sony would have to sell an Anti-PS4-Pro such as a PS4 lite, and make it portable.

Runs games at lower framerates and resolutions than the standard PS4 and allow it to have upscaled 720p content to 1080p.


They wont do it.

 

[Michael F. Assbender]

I’m not sure I get the premise of this thread.

Why is Sony worried about the Switch?

 

[SeanR1221]

What about games? It seems like a pretty important point OP left out. Is The Last of Us: Portable Season by a B-tier dev team supposed to compete with something like BotW or Mario Odissey where you have some of the best dev teams in the industry with a high budget and all the time and resources they need? What about local multiplayer? What could rival MK8 or Smash? And more portable experiences like Pokémon, what would steal the thunder of that?

IMO Vita failed because it was all about specs and paid little attention to the games themselves, specially the big first party AAA games that were supposed to make the system attractive. OP's plan just doubles down on that.

Exactly this.

The Switch is awesome because I can bring the full Zelda, Mario, Splatoon and Mario Kart experience with me wherever and whenever I want.

I don't want to play the lesser forms of Horizon, Uncharted, CoD, etc. made by B teams. I'd rather play the full version on my TV.

I'm not sure I get the premise of this thread.

Why is Sony worried about the Switch?

Also this. If anything, Sony probably loves the Switch. It's different enough that they have no fear of it taking their lunch, while establishing another roadblock between people buying an Xbox as a second system

 

[TsuWave]

sony doesn't need to counter switch's success

 

[KaYotiX]

PSP and vita died for a reason.

Sony isn't very good with handhelds.

 

[royox]

Nope. You even missed one of the Switch's greatest features, on the go local multiplayer with just one console.

Seriously speaking, people use this feature SO MUCH? Those trailers with people playing mid party on a roof or in a pub were cringeworthy as hell.

Where are you going to use that? At the park? While eating at a restaurant?

And let's not get started with hoe much playing with that little joycon sucks.

 

[giancarlo123x]

Sony tried to rock with Nintendo in the portable market and it failed. Stick to making home consoles.

PSP was highly successful, shame the vita wasn't.

 

[DrROBschiz]

They dug their heels into the 4k space and VR

No way they spin the portable plate again

Nintendo owns this market going forward

I say this as a true hardline Vita supporter

 

[James Scott]

The vita could have been a success but they did that crap with the memory cards. You could say hindsight is 20/20 but everyone other then Sony saw it as bullshit. They are probably better off just focusing on console exclusives, maybe do the PC thing like MS.

I think the memory card issue is overhyped.
It's like saying "if Nintendo called the Wii U something cooler it would've been a success"
Would it have helped? Sure.
But Sony losing key IPs like Monster Hunter, GTA, and Square Enix support and dropping support themselves didn't help. 3DS required a $80 price drop and a three hit combo of MK7, 3D Land, and MH3G to recover from its slow start. Don't think anything on Vita was as big as any of those 3.

 

[Kthulhu]

PSP and vita died for a reason.

Sony isn't very good with handhelds.

The PSP did alright. It sold 80 million units.

 

[jdmonmou]

This is personally what I would have wanted. Better integration of my Vita and the ps4 and the ability for me to link the vita as a ps4 controller when I play at someone elses house.

The switch is just not doing the job for me as a handheld. I'm still taking my 3ds/vita on the go with me.

I think we would've seen more integration between Vita and PlayStation if the Wii U had been successful. Both Sony and MS were trying to counter the Wii U's gamepad before it was released. Microsoft had Smartglass and Sony was saying that some games would benefit from Vita/PS3 integration were you could use the Vita as a controller. Both backed away once Wii U failed quickly out of the gate.

I doubt the Switch's success at launch will cause Sony to change anything. Key reason being is that Sony still has 3rd party support. They've even said that we see "PS4 and Switch sitting side-by-side" so they don't see Nintendo as a real threat. That'll only change once Nintendo gets serious about getting AAA 3rd party games on its console and I doubt that'll happen on the Switch.

 

[Shin]

Not sure they want to aim for a handheld anymore OP.
Vita is quite heavy and feature packed as it is, the revision is lighter but adding more to such a system seems impossible technically.
They established ForwardWorks to deal with the mobile market and tried so many other things before.

Safe to say they won't try and go after the mobile market again at least not with a dedicated handheld.

 

[spannicus]

Whos gonna make the games? Sony handhelds are done. Ps4 is their main focus. Not even psvr will survive hahah.

 

[LegendofLex]

Firstly, what would this PSVita revision need to be a palatable offer?

...The ability to play every single PS4 game natively.

This is absolutely not going to happen at an acceptable price point... which is why your post never engages with that reality.

The secret sauce for Switch is that it plays all of Nintendo's flagship titles, not just that it's portable and can connect to a TV.

 

[jufonuk]

Why.
On paper psp more powerful than DS.

Vita shat all over the 3DS in terms of specs

What happened. Not understanding how handheld gaming works.
Nintendo Magic won out.
Nintendo made gaming fun, all about the games. SONY went for a home console experience in your hands graphics graphics.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Again

Split ecosystem juggling is dead

If they ever make another portable again it has to at least be a Ps4 or bust

I just cant see it happening with Sony's current trajectory but never say never

 

[VeeP]

It wouldn't be easy for a Sony.

First of all, they have a console and VR system to support, and only so many first party titles. With the Switch, Nintendo is going all in. With in the next one-two years every single title they develop will be for Switch. With a new PSP, can Sony do the same?

Why.
On paper psp more powerful than DS.

Vita shat all over the 3DS in terms of specs

What happened. Not understanding how handheld gaming works.
Nintendo Magic won out.
Nintendo made gaming fun, all about the games. SONY went for a home console experience in your hands graphics graphics.

Nintendo just had better games, plain and simple. VITAs price and memory card was a big issue too.

It wasn't all "Nintendo Magic"' because that sure didn't save the N64 or the Wii U.

To win the market you need the right games, the right price point, the right marketing. 3DS was flopping until Nintendo dropped the price point with in its first year (I believe first 6 months?).

 

[LCGeek]

Sony has tried your strat already to outdo in specs it did nothing to phase nintendo. Unless they come up with a compelling software dynamic nothing will change market wants for basically mobile smartphone or nintendo handhelds.

 

[Auto_aim1]

I'm not spending my money on another PlayStation device that isn't a home console like the PS4 and Pro. Sony has shown time and time again that they do not how to support these things. We've seen it with the Move, PSVR, Vita etc. Their first party studios refused to develop for the Vita. What could they possibly do with a buffed up Vita or a new handheld? However, if they make a Switch like device for PS5, count me in.

 

[redcrayon]

Why do they need to 'counter'? Switch isn't a direct competitor to their core business. They would be better placed keeping an eye on VR/AR, making sure they make PS5 (or whatever their next home console is) future-proof, continuing to secure the games needed to support that etc than trying to compete with Nintendo when they've gone all guns blazing on the one piece of the games market they've owned for nearly thirty years. You might as well ask MS to 'easily counter' Sony by hiring Japanese studios, companies are often better off doubling down on their successes rather than taking their eye off the ball to react to what their competitors do. Years of tying up hardware and games development resources on a new Sony portable isn't going to help keep the lead they've won with the PS4, that's where the money is for Sony right now.

 

[DESTROYA]

If (and it's a big if) Sony does produce a new handheld I want them to start from scratch , while personally I love my vita they need a do over.
I don't know what they have to do but it would be better to go back to the drawing board and start all over.
They one thing I would love to see in the next Sony handheld is a clamshell design like the old 3DS but with controls like a PS4 dualshock, I really miss the convenience of just putting in my pocket or just throwing in a bag.
Lastly no more proprietary storage cards.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Sony has tried your strat already to outdo in specs it did nothing to phase nintendo. Unless they come up with a compelling software dynamic nothing will change market wants for basically mobile smartphone or nintendo handhelds.

Its simple

It has to be a Ps4

Thats all there is to it. But thats a huge mountain to climb with both technology, battery and price point

It could happen in the far future maybe?

Im not hedging bets on it. Seems ridiculously challenging for them to chase and they have enough on their plate as it is


It probably does sting a bit for them to exit a market completely but they really have no choice