It’s a sad day for PS Vita fans, as today officially marks the end of the handheld system’s line of production in Japan. The company announced that the two remaining SKU’s are no longer available to purchase, effectively ending the handheld’s lifetime. Unfortunately, the demise of the PS Vita has been something that we were all aware would happen eventually. Sony hasn’t confirmed whether this will impact the distribution for North America or Europe, but it’s more than likely that the same will follow suit here.
It’s a known fact the PS Vita wasn’t a great success outside of its native Japan. Competing with the likes of the Nintendo DS and 3DS in North America and Europe, Sony’s revolutionary handheld system had a tough time on the market. Despite their valiant efforts, the company had to realize the truth, they were fighting a losing battle. In 2018 they announced that the system would no longer receive the benefits of the PSN Plus membership, which ended last month.
Later that year, Sony announced that they were stopping production of all physical Vita game cards, yet another sign that the system was on its way out. Regardless of what the Vita has become today, back in 2011 when it launched, the handheld was widely praised for its graphical prowess as well as it’s easy to use interface. On top of that, the Vita boasted some of the best RPG titles during it’s lifetime, especially Persona 4: Golden, which some consider to be the premier Persona game in the franchise.
While the system itself won’t be available to purchase anymore, owners of the PS Vita can still utilize the PSN Store to make digital purchases, but don’t expect them to update that anymore either. The PS Vita has made its mark on the video game community. Sony took a huge chance with this one, and while it may not have paid off in the long run, their’s no way it will be forgotten.
