This is what needs to happen. Keep the form factor, up the power, improve the controls a bit, and launch at a reasonable price. Ideally, it'll be able to play Vita physical and digital games, will use microSD storage, and will have the power to play PS2 classics. It probably won't be a runaway success, but it should be a steady supply of income for them.
This is what I've been calling for, for the past two years or so. Upping the power enough to run PS2 classics could be huge (though new vita games should be required to run on existing systems, don't split user base). Having a portable PS2 on the market would be awesome. The only thing I'd add is any obvious improvements to the networking hardware to further refine remote play. As for form factor, I'd morph it more into a dual shock shape to support triggers, etc, but perhaps leaving it as is and just adding horizontal dual triggers would work.
And yes, it wouldn't be a relaunch to be a runaway success, but it would create a device that could [potentially] live through the livespan of the ps4 and 5 due to remote play + back catalog [ps2] support.
SMT Nocturne on a portable, please. Will buy.
[i don't think we'll get microSD though... but who knows?]
Sony can be very persistent with its products, even in places where it isn't doing so well
Yep. And they live in the consumer electronics space -- they want to own the gadget space, they have the teams and infrastructure in place for development/manufacturing/etc. It seems to me it would make more sense to have a small R&D team working on potential devices than simply saying 'meh, never again!'. Especially if they could figure out a way to piggy back on the success of the ps4... and i think a rebirth of the vita tech, plus ps2 classics, plus improving [the already great] remote play experience might justify another iteration.
I'd like to hope so, at least.
I'm going to throw out many "controversial"/"already-discussed too much" sides of digital because they first need to effing up their game.
Several examples from my experiences in PSN JP:
- Pre-ordering would sometimes got you artbook. Getting from PSN gets you nothing.
- Sen no Kiseki (II?) had a pre-order campaign which would determine how many "free DLCs" they will give away did not include PSN buys. You could not even pre-order it. Similarly, Makai something Trillion only counted physical pre-orders. I wonder if they would have given out the free DLCs (pre-order awards) if the game didn't sold out but massively got a lot of downloads instead.
- Sometimes, they just FLATOUT leave out PSN buys on free DLCs. Didn't matter if you bought the moment that PSN update went live.
- You are also completely left out on "DLC that exclusively came on that Super Extra Premium Box Set". Buying both Ciel nosurge Offline and Ar nosurge Plus did not get me that little set that came from buying that combo pack.
- Drama/Voice CDs. I mean, what the hell. I'll eat Falcom Eiden Kiseki for breakfast if they did. What's more annoying is that these sometimes give more to the game (background, etc).
- OSTs. It CAN be done via various ways, so why doesn't everyone? Senran Kagura even had its own Vita app that you download and run on Vita to get the mp3s. Digimon Cybersleuth gave a code to physical copies that allowed them to download 5-ish times while digital had infinite re-downloads (requires linking your PSN account to Bandai's)
- Fucking digital Artbook. Yes, again. I have never seen any single one release any digital artbook that came with the game. Sure, not everyone likes artbooks all the time, but I am pretty fucking sure that a LOT of people would be happy if their pre-ordered/bought Day-1 Vanillaware game on PSN came with a digital artbook.
It annoys me more because artbooks serves me more as digital (esp. high res). I can get stuff from it and use it as a wall paper on my PC or phone. That and they won't consume physical space. My artbooks are piling up, and aside from those "100% I'll keep those for life" collector's editions, I plan to scan them and throw them away when the time comes to move.
They don't at the least put both digital and physical on the same playing field when it comes to these. These applies to everything, not just Vita.
Digital is still going through some growing pains, and companies are sorting out this sort of thing.
A couple potential issues --
1) They know more about the market than we do. The addition of digital goods [art books, etc] may simply not be something their market research tells them people want, even if you do.
2) Even if enough people want it, they may not. One of the advantages of moving to digital storefronts is shedding a lot of physical concerns -- no more dealing with packaging, etc. They may be perfectly happy to shed the 'extra work' of developing all those goodies 'twice' (once physically, once digitally).
3) Even if the market wants to do it, and they want to do it, the infrastructure might not be completely there yet? As you mentioned in your OST part, different companies have come up with different methods (including a vita app!)... that tells me there's no standardized way to get us stuff like digital artbooks, which means it's a lot more work than just designing an artbook -- you need to design a delivery service too. Unless sony decided to standardize a 'digital artbook format' (which maybe they have? I remember uncharted comics on the ps3) it may just be too much of a pain in the neck.
All 3 above, though, really just go back to 'digital growing pains'. We only just started going digital last gen, and really, only full force this gen. They're still working out kinks in pricing, pre-ordering, organization/download capabilities, etc... it might be awhile till we start seeing fully fleshed out pre-order bonuses.
And last but not least... in a physical world, it makes more sense to do a limited run of stuff like cds and art books for preorders. But in a digital world, it makes a lot less sense to do anything 'limited'. If you're going to make an digital artbook, it's not limited by production issues, it's 'unlimited' by definition since it's digital. So that begs the question -- why limit it to preorders? Why not make it available after release for those that want it? Why not sell it for $5 instead? But that brings up more issues -- will it no longer being 'preorder only' cheapen it in collectors eyes? And plenty of more questions come to mind, but that's what I meant when I said digital is still going through growing pains and some issues haven't been sorted out yet.
; the Vita will still be getting games by that point and I could see it living a lot longer than any of us expect. 
