I know Sony has a lot going on, with the PS5 being the fastest-selling PlayStation console and a new cutting-edge PlayStation VR headset just weeks away. But in all of this, it seems like Sony forgot about portable gaming, which saddens me. Sony did some really cool handheld stuff before it walked away forever, but now handheld gaming is really great again, wish Sony gave it another shot.
The Nintendo Switch is a huge success. The Analogue Pocket sold out instantly. The Steam Deck is super popular, and all of the first-party PlayStation games that Sony has ported to Steam – like God of War, Spider-Man, Days Gone, Horizon, Sack Boy, Miles Morales and Uncharted – are all verified to work on portable hardware. from Valve, which means they’re all essentially handheld games already. PlayStation even recently teamed up with a company called Backbone to create a DualSense-themed controller grip for the iPhone for the specific purpose of playing PS5 games remotely.
Sony is once again on the precipice of handheld gaming. It no longer needs to compete with DS or 3DS systems as Nintendo cemented its handheld and console mainstays with the Switch five years ago. Nintendo doesn’t even look, so it’s Sony’s luck! The PSP sold 80 million units and the Vita around 16. But, for some reason, it’s PlayStation VR that gets a sequel, even though the former only sold 5 million units. . Go on! Recreate a portable system!
Some of my all-time favorite PlayStation memories happened on PlayStation handhelds. The PSP was amazing for JRPGS, puzzle games, GTA, Metal Gear and more. La Vita had Uncharted, Tearaway, Guacamelee, Gravity Rush, Spelunky, Hotline Miami. You name it. Even the PSP Go, which was…weird…but I bought one and liked it even though it has that weird sliding nipple analog rod thing.
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I’m glad Sony is giving VR a second chance, but the lockdown is over and I want to take my PlayStation games everywhere. I want to travel the world and not watch it because my head is buried in an intense run back to the Vita 2 or the New Super PSP or whatever you call it.
The PS5 is a resounding success. The PSVR2 will launch soon and although it hasn’t sold out yet, pre-order sales seem fine, especially given its price. After that? It’s clear skies for a new PlayStation handheld. Do it for me, Sony. Do it for the world. Do it for PlayStation. Beyond.
Brian Altano is an animator and producer at IGN. Feel free to follow him on Twitter.