Despite Nintendo Switch success, Sony has no interest in returning to handhelds

Nintendo has arguably reinvigorated the handheld gaming market this year with the launch of the Nintendo Switch. The two-in-one console is already getting a ton of third-party support from big publishers but it seems that Nintendo will be free to go uncontested, as Sony is still uninterested in pushing back with a new PSP or PS Vita.

Sony's original PSP was very successful and while the PS Vita was a solid upgrade, support for the console swiftly waned. However, with the Switch doing so well, many have been wondering if Sony may consider reviving its portable console.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Sony Interactive Entertainment president, Andrew House, was asked whether or not Sony would release a successor to the PS Vita. Here is what House came back with: “The Nintendo device is a hybrid device and that’s a different approach and strategy. We have not seen that as being a huge market opportunity.”

Sony seems to be betting on smartphones being the future, with House noting that it is a “single key device that is always with you”. With that in mind, Sony has established its own studio to create mobile games, so that seems to be where the company's ‘handheld' gaming focus is being placed.

KitGuru Says: I always thought it was a shame that the PS Vita didn't live up to the PSP. However, as the Switch has shown, handheld game consoles are far from being dead, though Nintendo has the advantage of also being a home console. Would you guys like to see Sony revive the PSP/Vita? Do you think a new portable PlayStation would be successful? 

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