Why PlayStation Vita Failed: Yoshida Explains
Former PlayStation manager Shuhei Yoshida explained the reasons why the PlayStation Vita failed to achieve the expected success. Yoshida stated that special memory cards and some technical decisions played a major role in the Vita’s poor sales performance. He also stated that features such as the device’s rear touch panel and OLED screen created unnecessary costs. These design flaws caused the PlayStation Vita to fail to become popular enough among users due to its high cost.
Memory Cards Specific to PlayStation Vita
According to Yoshida, one of the biggest mistakes of the PlayStation Vita was the memory cards produced exclusively for this device. Users had to purchase these expensive memory cards in addition to the games, increasing the total cost of the device and reducing its accessibility. Yoshida said that this decision was a big mistake and forced players to spend extra money unnecessarily.
Another controversial feature of the device was its rear touch panel. Yoshida stated that this feature was “unnecessary” and unnecessarily increased production costs. It was also explained that although the OLED screen was visually impressive, it added a significant burden to the device’s cost, and therefore an LCD screen was preferred in later models.
Yoshida emphasized that the lack of sufficient game support for the PlayStation Vita was also a major factor in the device’s failure. The increasing popularity of mainstream consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 caused studios to direct their resources to these platforms. This limited the number of games developed for the Vita and reduced the device’s appeal.
Yoshida also stated that he did not think it was a good idea for PlayStation to re-enter the portable gaming market. He stated that despite the success of competitors such as the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, it would be risky for PlayStation to invest in this area again. Despite this, it seems that the Vita has made a mark on the portable console market and that Sony is learning from this experience in its future products.
