FF:Enhanced_Reality
Member
I've seen some murmurings over the past few months that Sony is indeed looking to make a return to the handheld market, Microsoft have been more vocal about this and more people have cited this to be true. The original article requires registration or a subscription so I have linked to this one instead. The belief is that it's not set in stone, but Microsoft are definitely going down this path, Nintendo have had excellent success there with Switch, so it's not beyond the realms of possibly that Sony would think it's worth a return to the market. Certainly having seen the response to the Portal, even if it is used for another purpose, it's still a form of handheld gaming, even if it's purpose is remote play.
But I remember my first PSP, how I loved it and just how ahead of the curve it was. Music, movies and gaming on the go. Web browsing, Skype, the PlayStation Store etc. It was just such an amazing console with a very big catalogue of great games. That said, I remember buying the Vita and all that followed was disappointment... so with that in mind, I propose a topic where you decide what 3 things you would want to Sony to consider when making another handheld console. Imagine you get a survey in your e-mail from PlayStation and it's asking you all about handheld consoles, what you own and played and enjoyed etc. Then the final question simply asks you for your opinion as a gamer, what 3 things would you want PlayStation to be mindful of, if they were to release a new portable console?
For me, I would say these are my three key points.
But I remember my first PSP, how I loved it and just how ahead of the curve it was. Music, movies and gaming on the go. Web browsing, Skype, the PlayStation Store etc. It was just such an amazing console with a very big catalogue of great games. That said, I remember buying the Vita and all that followed was disappointment... so with that in mind, I propose a topic where you decide what 3 things you would want to Sony to consider when making another handheld console. Imagine you get a survey in your e-mail from PlayStation and it's asking you all about handheld consoles, what you own and played and enjoyed etc. Then the final question simply asks you for your opinion as a gamer, what 3 things would you want PlayStation to be mindful of, if they were to release a new portable console?
For me, I would say these are my three key points.
- Software drives Hardware - unless you really enjoyed indie titles, releases on the Vita very quickly dried up from AA-AAA experiences. I remember at launch I bought Uncharted Golden Abyss and Modnation Racers. Unit 1, slipped the release day by about a fortnight or so, but Gravity Rush didn't come for a few months. It felt pretty quiet for a while and for a time it did seem that Sony was pushing for new software with things like Borderlands 2, Killzone Mercenary, World of Final Fantasy, Soul Sacrifice, Freedom Wars, Tales of Hearts R, Persona 4 Golden etc. Very quickly the release schedule became barren. Before long, indie was all that was left. Shy from the few releases the Vita did get. Whereas PSP always had something coming out and received many more ports from their console counterparts than Vita received. I wouldn't want to buy a handheld PlayStation and see it get new content sparingly and pretty quickly end up with Vita/Dreamcast vibes. But I do think a modern PlayStation handheld wouldn't suffer this issue so much, you just have to hope that Sony care enough to keep software going for any portable system as well as the PS5/Pro, which we found last time, was a tough ask from them. Equally, I don't think PlayStation Vita ever really had a must have piece of software. A killer title if you will. Sony certainly won't have Mario, Zelda, Pokemon or Nintendo IP to push their console. Perhaps an Astro Bot series of games?
- It can't just be a portable version of a home console - There's a couple of reasons I'd say this, firstly because I wouldn't want it to have a premium specification and a price tag to match. I don't mind paying £280 for a Nintendo Switch, but if Sony are going to ask £449.99 for a new portable, they can forget it for me. I own every Sony console and in this day and age with two kids, a cost of living crisis and more important things, price would put me off massively if it was too much. I wouldn't just want Sony to be bragging about how powerful the handheld would be etc. I wouldn't even care if it wasn't the most powerful out of the Switch 2, whatever it is that Microsoft have planned and the Steam Deck/other PC type handhelds. Asus ROG , Lenovo Legion etc. As long as it isn't hardware as old as the original Switch, relatively capable and not necessarily cutting edge, it should be enough to make fun games. I think a lot of it goes back to people being put off the Vita for the price point. I know people were upset at the propriatary memory and charger etc. But making the Vita so damn powerful, certainly compared to the 3DS, definitely drove up the price point. Plus, I'd want them to consider the manner in which portable consoles are played, which straight console ports aren't always ideal for. On my PSP, I could happily have a few rounds of Tekken, a few games of Yu-Gi-Oh or do a few missions on GTA Vice City Stories. But it was annoying getting into a mission on Gravity Rush or a certain part of Golden Abyss that was really good, then having to switch off. I personally would use a portable PlayStation for commutes, such as my 45 minute bus journey to the office on Mondays etc. It would be less appealing if we start seeing ports of God of War and Horizon etc - and we end up with huge AAA games on a handheld that requires more time and dedication than I can offer.
- Try and be ahead of the curve with functionality - Much like the PSP and to a degree the Vita, I'd love a PlayStation Portable to have many features like they have previously. Whilst it would create the argument, would you just prefer a Smart Phone? I prefer a dedicated device for gaming and don't play much on my phone outside of the odd bit of Pokemon Go or the new Pokemon Card game, so to an extent I'd argue if you were going to say, "Why not just get a smart phone?" - I don't think a proposed portable PlayStation would be for you anyway. But remebering just how much my PSP could do, was one of the reasons I never really bothered with an iPod when they emerged. Loads of people I knew had one, but my little PSP could give me most of that funtionality. It was my portable MP3 player, gaming/video entertainment during commutes, form of contact with Skype and handy web device with the browser. I even bought a lot of the comics too, that was cool. Then Vita had the Facebook and YouTube apps but I thought the Near app was really cool and definitely under used and under appreciated. Though now that we've had the Nintendo Switch, I do think the next PlayStation Portable (or NGP, remember that name? lol) should be able to connect to your TV at home and be played on your TV. Perhaps it could link to your PS5 somehow and improve the quality of your games through the power of the PS5? Would it need a docking station maybe? I'm not sure I have all the answers to that. I don't think it needs all the functionality of a Smart Phone (camera for example) but they key apps, perhaps mobile data usage and a way to connect it to screen devieces would be appreciated.
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