Sony Exec Calls PS Vita a ‘Legacy Platform’ (Updated)
Update:
A Sony representative has clarified Andrew House's comments about the PlayStation TV and PS Vita to GamesBeat with the following statement:
“What Andy mentioned as ‘legacy platform’ was part of the write-off for PS Vita components for the first generation of the PS Vita, which is no longer available in the market. And he did not directly mean the current PS Vita and PS TV models, which are available in the market. Our portable business will be continued, and many users are now enjoying PlayStation 4 remote play features as well as original PS Vita game titles on PS Vita and PS TV.”
Original Story:
The head of Sony Computer Entertainment had some interesting things to say about the PlayStation TV, PS Vita and his company's first-party lineup.
At Sony's 2015 Investor Relations Day, Sony Computer Entertainment President and Global CEO Andrew House sparked some controversy when he described what his company had planned for the rest of 2015, GamesIndustry reports. On one hand, House noted the PlayStation 4's success, with it being the fastest-selling console Sony ever had, as well as it trumping the competition for most of its time on the market. On top of that, PlayStation Plus subscriptions have doubled since 2013. Factoring in the Project Morpheus' VR headset coming in 2016, Sony intends to stay on top of things, except for the PS Vita.
House's opinions of Sony's handheld gaming were not as optimistic. He described the PS Vita's sales remaining "strong and vibrant" throughout Asia, but there have been vast declines in the handheld's sales throughout the Western markets. He even described both the PS Vita and the Vita game-playing PlayStation TV as both "legacy platforms," suggesting that it's time to move on from the Vita format.
Nevertheless, House remains optimistic about the PlayStation brand:
We are working very hard to continue very strong support from third-party pubs and devs. Our first-party lineup is a little sparse this year, so I think this places even greater emphasis on getting good third-party support.
I will admit that these are, in the current publishing landscape, few and far between, but we were able to announce a full exclusive around a franchise like Street Fighter so that Street Fighter 5 is a complete exclusive for PlayStation 4. Although given publishing dynamics and development costs, those are increasingly difficult to secure."
I would characterize 2015 as the beginning of a harvest period for the PlayStation 4 platform. The beginning of a harvest period. That being said, we are also undertaking to invest in the future, and 2015 will also be a year of investment.
Maybe if Sony treated the Vita library better then gamers would take it seriously. For the most part, the Vita library consists of barebones/watered-down versions of console titles, weird and obscure Japanese RPGs and indie games — there are no must-have, system-defining titles in the Vita library.
With E3 2015 just a few weeks away, it will be interesting to see what PlayStation brings to the table. Sony isn't going to have much in terms of first-party titles, whereas they will be a major focus of Xbox's E3 presentation this year.