When we talk about portable game consolesAlmost automatically, Nintendo offers come to mind, which has dominated this market with overwhelming dominance for at least the past few decades. Far away are the days when Game consolewith PSP D Game console Vita, tried to gain a foothold in the players’ pockets. In the case of the first hardware, we can say that it was successful, based on the aspirations of Sony; not so with the second.
The failure of the PS Vita, without a doubt determined the future of the company in the portable sector. Sony’s foot has never set foot in this market again, and to be honest, the success of the PlayStation home consoles continues to support its decision. However, the PS Vita is still loved by its owners, because despite the meager library of games – mostly in the West – no one can deny that from a technical point of view, this is a great console. Perhaps even ahead of its time.
Now, the Nintendo Switch’s brutal sales pace since its launch, as well as Valve’s great Steam Deck reception, make you wonder if there’s even the slightest possibility of seeing the PlayStation return to the handheld world. If Sony has been waiting for the perfect moment to try again with a hypothetical second-generation PSP or PS Vita, then this is surely the moment.. Why? I delve into this below.
The steam deck holds the key
In the field of laptops Nintendo almost always went alone. Even when an interesting competitor enters the scene, the Kyotons easily hold the lead by a wide margin. This is primarily due to the fact that they know their customers very well and their market is very clearly defined. The company under the leadership of Shuntaro Furukawa is betting on the conquest random players and usually wins in its goal.
Nintendo’s superiority is such that Valve, by announcing the Steam Deck, quickly distanced himself from the switch to make it clear that they need a completely different market. One that, oddly enough, is not a priority for Nintendo: players hardcore. To this day, some people mistakenly claim that the two handheld consoles are in competition with each other, but they are actually very different.
Gabe Newell himself, the director of Valve, spoke about this. IGN. “I think Nintendo is doing a great job of reaching out to their audience with the content they have. [la Steam Deck], it feels much more ergonomic for those used to playing with an expensive controller. It’s bigger and bulkier than the Switch. And if we’re right, that’s the right compromise for the audience we’re looking for.”
Perhaps at this point you are starting to wonder: what does Steam Deck have to do with the possible return of the PlayStation to portable computers? Actually a lot.
Valve is attacking a market with great confidence that the PlayStation abandoned years ago.. After the failure of the PS Vita, and keeping in mind that offerings like the Nvidia Shield Portable and Onexplayer went unnoticed, we thought the portable console market for hardcore gamer almost completely disappeared. But we were wrong. It didn’t disappear, it just waited for the combination of attractive hardware, a wide catalog of games, and gigantic support to reappear.
The Steam deck was sold out in all regions where the pre-order was active. To date, Valve has not been able to meet the demand and they do not believe they will be able to do so within this year. These data show that there are still a large number of consumers hardcore who are ready to open their wallets for a portable console that, although not perfect, meets a large part of their desires and needs.
What does PlayStation need to launch a new handheld console?
Voucher, PlayStation did not have to risk check the current state of the market because Valve has already done the work, but that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed success if it decides to come back. Even with all the weight of the brand as a pillar, this will not be easy.
First, the PlayStation should apply the lessons learned from the previous two handheld experiences. Today is the main thing offer an extensive library of games right from the start. In addition, it must be constantly updated throughout its life cycle. In this sense, the Sony platform can stand out. How?
If the company develops hardware that has specifications similar to those of the PlayStation 4, they could use the entire library the aforementioned console, which is huge and growing. On the other hand, it seems that the development tools of Sony’s internal studios, despite the transition to PS5, are adapting to the previous generation without any problems. Proof of it Forbidden horizon west, Grand Touring 7 etc God of War Ragnarok.
technically speaking, it is impossible to create a portable console with similar capabilities to PS4. In fact, the Steam Deck is close in performance to Sony’s desktop hardware. So just as Valve took advantage of Steam games, PlayStation could do the same with PS4 games.
Also, we can’t forget about playstation plus extension, which will be available from June. The service will now have different plans to offer access to over 700 games – both exclusive and third-party – including some PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS Vita classics. This is yet another addition that the long-awaited PSP 2 can lean on.
Building a portable console that starts with a zero directory would be a shot in the leg. The PS Vita failed precisely because it didn’t have the support of major publishers, which was reflected in its meager library. Sony will have to do everything possible not to repeat the same mistakes.. Will they make the move that so many players have been waiting for? It looks complicated, but we can’t rule anything out in an industry that is changing so fast.
Source: Hiper Textual
