Support NeoGAF

[Reallink]

If you're a Sad Dad who hides in the hallway to play portables, Steamdeck is better than any Vita 2 Sony could ever produce. Much more open and a much larger library. Will eventually receive a majority of Sony's "First Party" games in the way of PC ports, a majority of MS's games, and a majority of Nintendo games via emulation. Will be frequently updated if successful and won't be saddled by the 5+ year "generation" which would see the hardware comically outdated and unusable by year 2 or 3. Conversely, PSVR2 represents an avenue for Sony's staple of first party studios to make truly unique experiences, something they would never do otherwise.

 

[Portugeezer]

Switch is enough, don't want half assed PlayStation IP for a handheld.

 

[cireza]

VR is nice and all, but I would actually use very often a Vita 2. Great handheld. Sony never understood what kind of games they had to release on a handheld device though.

Steam Deck is huge. I want a slick handheld. It doesn't need to be super powerful. What it needs are games that have been developed specifically with the hardware and a handheld experience in mind. This kind of specific approach is something we have totally lost. Nowadays publishers make their game for PC and throw it on anything that can run it with zero effort to adapt to a handheld experience or a less powerful hardware. Just lower the res, the assets, reduce the HUD with Photoshop and get the poorest, blurriest experience possible running on whatever device you want. And people will come and tell you how incredible it is to have this "home console or PC game" running like crap on whatever handheld.

While you could actually be playing a perfect port of Outrun 2 or Coast to Coast in native res at 60fps. It is trully an era of diminishing returns. Sad days for handheld gaming !

 

[Paltheos]

I have no opinion on VR, but I loved my Vita. It's incredible how great a piece of hardware it is. Great control feel, light weight, beautiful and crisp images on that OLED which also seemed about the perfect size (;a touch-screen for some reason that surprisingly got some support). So many portables from the past had some awful technical flaw - The battery life was poor, the picture quality was shit, the buttons and handling didn't feel quite right. The Vita had it all... except for the love of the world.

 

[Bryank75]

nah nah nah man.
You don't get an easy way out of this.
WHICH ONE

 

[Brigandier]

Both... But a new handheld from Sony would be amazing, I miss my PSP and Vita.

 

[angelgs90]

I would love a Sony handheld machine if shares PS5's library of games, tweaking down resolution and graphics.

 

[RoboFu]

No way the vita was a horrible idea itself as no one wanted lite versions of Sony console games on a handheld, and as much as you guys tout 0.05% advantages in graphics and load times a lot of people voting Vita2 are liars. Liars I say!

 

[shinjimimura]

VR is the main thing that gets me excited about videogames nowadays, so I'd never forfeit that. But I'd still really LOVE a PSVita2 or, even better, a portable PS4

 

[Melon Husk]

Vita is still good though: its ergonomics, handheld friendly game library and user experience can still beat the Switch lite. (I have both)
I would therefore rather pick PSVR2.

 

[STARSBarry]

While I enjoyed my Vita, with more Japanese games hitting PC than ever before I can just get a steam deck.

So im more interested in seeing how Sony produce things for VR.

 

[Doctor Hades]

Oh absolutely. VR is a super-expensive fad like 3D (and where is that now, eh?). With VR and 3D the tech is the focus/appeal rather than the game itself (or movie in the case of 3D) so I have never been particularly interested in either. They add very little to the actual game experience in my opinion. Sure, you get to see stuff in first-person but the technology is far too clunky and fundamentally non-interactive that it completely fails to offer, say, something akin to Star Trek: The Next Generation's holodecks. Maybe in a few centuries we will be there but, right now, yes, I'd rather have a PSVita 2 please!

 

[Markio128]

VR. I work from home now, so no need for a Vita and I already own a Switch. Really excited for PSVR2.

 

[ArtHands]

Sony handheld already died several times. Let it rest in peace

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Vita 2 should be something like the Steam Deck, but for ps4 games instead of PC games.

I think that should be 80% done before the project even hit the drawing board, so no need to make a choice... It's mostly a question of will.

 

[Johnny Concrete]

Every handheld I’ve bought has been collecting dust after the honeymoon period. I always think I want one, but I just don’t find it comfortable to play on, looking down on a small screen.

So PSVR2 for me. I liked PSVR and had some great experiences with it, but wished the screen, hardware, controllers and setup was better. It seems they improved on all these points, so count me in!

 

[IFireflyl]

I'm honestly shocked at how close this poll is right now. I didn't think VR was something that most people cared about. Color me surprised.

 

[chixdiggit]

Vita 2 should be something like the Steam Deck, but for ps4 games instead of PC games.

I think that should be 80% done before the project even hit the drawing board, so no need to make a choice... It's mostly a question of will.

Unfortunately Sony would never let you use your existing games to run on a separate handheld. The main appeal of the Steam Deck is it comes with a huge library that you already own anyway.

 

[El Muerto]

Definitely a Vita 2. VR is such a pain to setup and get going, then there's the lack of quality games. With a Vita 2 there would be ps4 quality games, and with USB-C, transport is fast enough to use the ps5 as a tv out and possibly upscale the video.

 

[rofif]

If you're a Sad Dad who hides in the hallway to play portables, Steamdeck is better than any Vita 2 Sony could ever produce. Much more open and a much larger library. Will eventually receive a majority of Sony's "First Party" games in the way of PC ports, a majority of MS's games, and a majority of Nintendo games via emulation. Will be frequently updated if successful and won't be saddled by the 5+ year "generation" which would see the hardware comically outdated and unusable by year 2 or 3. Conversely, PSVR2 represents an avenue for Sony's staple of first party studios to make truly unique experiences, something they would never do otherwise.

lol I was making this joke before but I know quite a few of these old miserable husbands/fathers.
Thankfully I don't have kids

 

[Ribi]

idk quest 2 is cheaper and the steam deck is what i wanted from the Vita minus a better battery and screen. So... neither?

 

[Codes 208]

Sony handheld already died several times. Let it rest in peace

It died once. The psp was an absolute success and lived long enough to see a successor.

The vita is what died.

Attempting twice and failing only once is hardly something that should be considered a permanently shelved experiment.

 

[Damien Crowley]

I like this post!

 

[A.Romero]

The Vita was completely different. Games were made on a completely different platform with very different architechture, from scratch basically, and Sony didn't give it the support it needed to succeed. A modern Vita with it's similar architecture would benefit from easy and immediate ports from 1st and 3rd party (part of the reason switch has been successful)
It also wasn't a hybrid, which the the Vita 2 would be. (and also another huge reason the switch was successful) So it's apples to oranges.
As to nobody else doing numbers like nintendo in the portable space, name me one portable machine that had a proper game company behind it in the past 10 years? You can't.
Even the Steam Deck doesn't count as it doesn't have console exclusives nor does it have enough stock built to even matter.

As to Sony reaching out to a market that the rest didn't even see, that's not true either. MS saw it, said it was too small, and they were 100% right. 5 million units of an add for a machine that sold over a 100 million is a failure on an epic scale.
The PSVR2 has some amazing tech in it, I will buy it and enjoy it, but how many units do you think they can sell for a console that has sold 20 million units?
Best in class? Maybe, for a year or 2, then not so much. A lot of people hate being tethered for VR. There are competitors in this space who won't sit on their hands.

We do know that PSVR exists, we have no idea if Vita is being worked on. To me the PSVR seems more of a passion project for Sony than a way to increase market share or profit. (and good for us, not for them)

The poll results here seem to indicate Vita, and these are hardcore gamers, the type who tend to gravitate to VR. The poll would lean even more to vita for casual gamers as more as a percentage are not interested in VR.

Different architecture and lack of support that would be implicitly not repeated this time? I don't think Sony just decided not to support the platform, they had different priorities and I think overall they were right. So what you are saying is that Sony should have something like the Switch that can play the same third party games. There is a reason there are no other platforms. They know it would very hard to get in competition with Nintendo (has been proven before).

PSVR was a success because the comparison is other players in the same markets. Before Oculus Quest it was the best sold device. As you said, it was released 6 years ago so it's expected newer devices will take the lead. You might think it's an epic failure but where would that leave Vita given that, as I said, Vita 2 doesn't seem to be in the works while PSVR2 is coming out next year. Do you honestly think you are in a position to make a better analysis than Sony itself with all their resources?

I don't think Sony is working PSVR just for a passion project, in my opinion they are betting on entering that market and betting it will grow with time.

Regarding the poll I understand a lot of people here don't like VR and that's fair. I think it speaks more about the lack of interest in VR and not so much about interest in more portables. According to Wikipedia Vita is estimated to have sold 16 million units, that doesn't sound like it reflects a lot of interest. I think the games would have been produced if the interest was high enough, alas...

 

[MadchesterManc]

The market spoke and it don't want another Sony handheld, at least with focusing on VR instead Sony can offer something the other 2 don't for now.

 

[K2D]

To anyone saying PSVR is a fad or a gimmick, I'd say on the contrary:

VR is transformative.

It's not as plain as day easy to see as 3d compared to 2d - until experiencing it for oneself. It wasn't easy to see the potential in psvr either without trying out certain experiences. To me those experiences were 360 video (because it didn't need processing power, and therefore were akin to prestine image quality) and Skyrim (which really sold me on immersion).

If you could throw all the horse power you'd want at psvr, like super sampling, the experience would be night and day. Psvr2 will go a long way in making the player forget you are wearing a headset (less screendoor/goggle-periphery, shaky motion controls, over all less hick ups..). The one cable is the least of my worries.

 

[ShirAhava]

I'm honestly shocked at how close this poll is right now. I didn't think VR was something that most people cared about. Color me surprised.

Same here. The hardware is cool but PSVR's software lineup was so mediocre to me I lost all interest in it felt at least ten years too early.
Being hyped about 2022 VR seems absurd to me.

 

[Wonko_C]

A Vita 2...

Spoiler

That can transform into a PSVR2 using it's screen.

Was going to say the same. A PlayStation... VitaR! (Sorry)

Ya, never tried it.....trips over Quest 2...........
It's not a game changer in it's current form. The PSVR2 will move it closer with better tech, but still won't be.

I refuse to believe that anyone could say something like that after playing both flat and VR versions of Super Hot. The former feels like a clunky relic from ancient times after playing the VR version.

It's even more amazing how the game didn't even start as a VR title but feels like it was made for the medium from the ground up.

I'm honestly shocked at how close this poll is right now. I didn't think VR was something that most people cared about. Color me surprised.

A few years ago that would have been the case, but VR has been steadily gaining acceptance. Give it a few more years and the results could end up being reversed.

Same here. The hardware is cool but PSVR's software lineup was so mediocre to me I lost all interest in it felt at least ten years too early.
Being hyped about 2022 VR seems absurd to me.

My PS4 collection is like 30% PS4 games, 70% PSVR games, but I'll admit my tastes deviate from the norm as I'm more into indie arcade-like games than AAA cinematic experiences.

 

[TheDreadLord]

It would be nice to have a strong competitor for the Switch. It would put some heat on Nintendo to see if they take more risks.

 

[Kokoloko85]

I would of liked a PSP3 over VR2 right now.
I coulda waited a couple more years for VR2 but Ill b buying day 1 anyway

 

[Fafalada]

I feel like with modern tech a new Sony handheld could be amazing.

Between phones, Switch, and large increase in proliferation of PC handhelds (Android/Windows/SteamOS), it's really hard to see enthusiast console justifying its existence at this point.
Basically - it wouldn't be sold on power, unique hw offering, or mainstream appeal - so what exactly is left?
Sony could 'maybe' justify launching a console with specific aim to sell ~5-10M machines, but that wouldn't get the type of funding and support people are asking for this in the first place.

VR market is substantially more open ended and drastically less crowded/saturated, so even if you accept Oculus as continued market leader (Which is far from guaranteed - they've fumbled far more than not in their 6 years on the market) there's room for actual console-centric market entry, especially in terms of software library and cross-play/buy with flat-screen.

 

[remember_spinal]

I really dont see the appeal of dedicated device for portable ps4 games

You can just get a steam deck now

 

[Fafalada]

I really dont see the appeal of dedicated device for portable ps4 games

The appeal was more clear 2 years ago. Right now it'd be harder to swallow - it's the same problem PSP had after PS3 came out - portable PS2 just wasn't that exciting afterwards.
Also - let's suppose that such a handheld was properly - natively compatible with PS4 library. Would people still want this now when we get complaints almost daily how next-gen is being held back by legacy hw? A handheld would only extend the life of old consoles further (if it didn't do a Vita that is).

The other option (for this not to share library with a console) is properly dead in the water now - even Nintendo having abandoned it to great success.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Slightly inferior version of the console experience or a new frontier in gaming? Hmmm...

 

[Inanilmaz]

VR is the future. Would rather have Steamdeck 2 OLED & Switch 2. Its more than enough, dont need a Psvita2.

 

[SeraphJan]

VR2 is more important, but Vita 2 is also nice

 

[Daytonabot]

Neither. I largely lost interest in the brand when they moved to California. I'm happy to buy some of their games on Steam though when warranted.

 

[lukilladog]

I'm honestly shocked at how close this poll is right now. I didn't think VR was something that most people cared about. Color me surprised.

This only tells you they would prefer a VR device rather than another Vita, doesn´t necessarily mean they care about VR. On the other hand, VR threads are barely popular in mainstream gaming forums like these, that´s a better indicative.

 

[Tchu-Espresso]

I don’t give a fuck about handhelds, cut down versions of last gen engines or shit battery life.