Sony’s odd relationship with the PlayStation Vita has gotten even stranger, considering the words of Shuhei Yoshida, their president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.
Speaking at this year’s EGX convention (via Eurogamer), Yoshida was naturally asked about the PlayStation Vita 2, and if it was going to ever happen. His words of praise for the handheld came alongside worry for the climate of handheld gaming, and how things are changing.
“That’s a tough question,” he replied when asked about a successor to PlayStation Vita. “People have mobile phones and it’s so easy to play games on smartphones,” Yoshida said. “And many games on smartphones are free, or free to start.
“I myself am a huge fan of PlayStation Vita and we worked really hard on designing every aspect. Touch-based games are fun – there are many games with really good design. But having sticks and buttons make things totally different. So I hope, like many of you, that this culture of playing portable games continues but the climate is not healthy for now because of the huge dominance of mobile gaming.”
You can view the entire Q&A session below:
The PlayStation Vita first launched in Japan in December of 2011, followed by a North American and European launch the following February. Since then, its support from Sony’s own development teams has waned, although third party support is seemingly consistent.
Would you like to see a PlayStation Vita 2? Also, do you think we may not be seeing another generation of dedicated gaming handhelds? Sound off in the comments below!
