Playstation Vita: Will Handheld Gaming Consoles Make A Comeback?

Gamers, rejoice! Sony PlayStation unleashed its newest hand-held video game console, the PS Vita, in-store and online yesterday. It's a major upgrade from the PlayStation Portable, but it comes at a pretty steep price -- the device retails for $250, which includes wi-fi access, and another 3G version of the console will be offered by AT&T for $299, which will allow gamers to play with other Vita owners. But in the age of iPhones, many consumers and critics are questioning whether it's worth spending this much for a device that has so many overlapping features with a smartphone.

Games for the Vita can be bought in stores, which will then be preloaded on tiny memory cards, or they can be downloaded through a Vita-installed blank memory card. Vita owners can also buy or rent movies and TV shows through the PlayStation store, and select free apps will be available as part of today's PlayStation Store update. Some of the most popular apps, including Facebook, are not yet available, but as of now Netflix, LiveTweet and Flickr can all be enjoyed on the console.

Some gaming critics are skeptical of the PS Vita, citing evidence from the console's release in Japan late last year (the amount of units sold during the second week of its release dropped by 248,000). Vita sales in Japan are not the only indication of a potential decline for the demand of handheld gaming consoles. The predecessor to the Vita, PlayStation Portable, also saw a recent decline in sales and Nintendo's 3DS suffered in sales until a substantial price drop in the cost of the device.

Sony hopes that the multipurpose Vita, with its camera, web browser, and video player, among other features, will draw more attraction from those who would normally overlook a handheld gaming device.

Do you think that handheld gaming consoles are still relevant in the age of smartphones? Are you excited for the Vita? Tell us in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen!

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Comments

[Behaviour Problem]

04:06 PM on 02/24/2012

Computers are dead because the whole of the population cannot operate them. In the 80's, computers were only understood by 2% of 1% of people. That's why they were so useful to hackers. Now it's mainly just an office force that uses the internet. While the others have gone for the PS, XBOX, Wii, easy, 1, 2, 3. Now though we have these blackberries, text, ipads, iphones. It is just TOO complicated! This market is failing fast!

[Sgt Price]

11:06 AM on 02/23/2012

I agree, PS VITA has the potential to be revolutionary...which based upon SONY's past actions (online gaming, player ranking/trophies, 3D gaming, PSN and developing a virtual revenue model), they don't seem to miss the mark on revolutionary opportunities too often.

I'll add my 2cents that it is the cross platform capabilities of PS VITA which will make it a hit (and that's what differentiates it from PSP) and more importantly the "continuation play" component therein which will be the true appeal to casual and die-hard gamers alike. Don't be surprised if you see a Microsoft and Nintendo version in the near future.

[Ross Voorhees]

09:20 AM on 02/23/2012

True, the Vita did not do particularly well in Japan, but that's primarily due to a lack of launch titles that appealed to Japanese gamers. That will change, in time, when Monster Hunter and other huge franchises appear later this year. The real test will be the U.S. and the U.K. Markets, where popular titles already exist, but I suspect that the Vita will do very, very well at the least, and ideally it will redefine the portable market in the same way that the PS3 redefined the home console market.