Sony generally makes some business decisions. Sure, they may goof up occasionally, but they usually make up for it in next quarter. With a wide selection of brilliant exclusive titles and innovative consoles, the Japanese company is truly one that will be remembered for generations to come.
But sadly, nobody is perfect. Discreetly but honestly admitting to one of their biggest flops, Sony discontinues PlayStation TV in Japan.
There’s a PlayStation TV?
Also known in some countries as the PlayStation Vita TV, the service was attempt of the company to capitalize on the then-niche market. Launched in 2013, it quickly became obvious that the product will be a flop, but the company kept trying to make some revenue off of it.
Even though it eventually spread to other countries except for Japan, the main problem with the PlayStation TV was that not even Sony was totally sure what they were going to do with it. It couldn’t really work as a mini-console, since the Vita was far better and had a much wider selection of games.
Even though it could double as a streaming device, there are far cheaper versions out there, even after the company lowered the product’s price to $40 from $99. It didn’t really have much to do with the Vita, and very few people actually bought the small device (except for Sony life-long collectors).
Veni Vita Vici?
And as it happens, not even three years after the PlayStation TV’s launch, Sony decided to discontinue it. But this will only take place in Japan at first. Even though it took nearly a year for the product to reach the United States, it will most likely be discontinued far more quickly.
But its negative influence seems to have spread over to the pointless device’s namesake, as the PS Vita is also a dying product. After being completely neglected during last year’s E3, and Sony officially saying that they’ll stop producing Triple A titles for the portable console, the PS Vita might be taking its final breaths.
Sure, the product most likely won’t be discontinued immediately, but Sony fans and experts alike are seeing a move very similar to the discontinuation of the PSP. The biggest difference is that the PSP is still used today, while the PS Vita’s influence is steadily fading.
There were a number issues with the console, and despite it getting several very good titles, the price tag didn’t really do well with the customers, and the “play on the go” feature wasn’t really the company’s biggest hit. It’s sad to say, but both Sony products will be leaving very soon.
Image source: Wikimedia
