How Sony could build on the PS Vita and PSP

If Sony’s world’s best PlayStation brand doesn’t compete with the Nintendo Switch in the handheld space, it’s not because of a lack of trying. Between 2004 and 2019, the company shipped three different handhelds: PSP, PSP Go and PlayStation Vita. There were plenty of smaller versions too, but none of them could overtake Nintendo. In the case of the Vita, the switch was just the last nail in the coffin – the Vita specifications were last updated in 2013.

Moving to the Switch alone would require numerous changes, not to mention reaching state-of-the-art gaming on phones, PCs, tablets, and living room consoles. But there are things Sony could do to build on the Vita legacy and maybe even justify a dedicated new portable PlayStation in the 2020s.

See also: PlayStation history – every console so far

1. Provide access to all PS4 and PS5 games – and PlayStation Now

When Sony was active in the handheld space, it loved downsized spin-offs from large PlayStation franchises. These included wearable versions of God of War and Uncharted, as well as third-party franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid. Some of these were rightly great, but as Sony history seems to show, flagship game offshoots aren’t much of a draw. If all else is the same, you would probably prefer to play the version of a game with better graphics, controls, and (frequent) content.

Therefore, a Vita successor would have to support as many PS4 and PS5 games as possible. Smaller screen and texture resolutions could make this possible on mobile chips and displays, as even 1080p would look extra sharp on a 7-inch screen.

What could make the machine a killer is when paired with an upgraded version of PlayStation Now, a subscription service with both downloads and streaming. On paper, PlayStation Now should already be superior to Xbox Game Pass and Cloud Gaming as it contains a larger library of titles – including some from the PS2 era. In practice, it’s a poor sale as it doesn’t offer any current generation games or day-one releases like the popular Xbox service. Fixing this would mostly just be a business matter, and since Now isn’t available on Android or iOS, the upgrade could help push people towards Sony hardware in general, including potential new portable PlayStation.

2. Internal (and non-proprietary) storage

One of the most antiquated aspects of the Vita – both now and at time of launch – is the storage scheme. The product initially shipped with no internal storage, and when it got something with the 2013 revision, it got stuck at 1GB. Realistically, you had to buy a Vita-specific memory card between 4GB and 64GB in size.

This was a result of Sony’s notorious penchant for proprietary formats – the company long pushed technologies like Betamax, MiniDisc, and MemoryStick beyond their real purpose. From Sony’s point of view, this offered maximum control with the chance to establish itself as the industry standard. Of course, consumers were only interested in features, compatibility, and price. It was the latter that really hurt. The Vita memory cards are overpriced compared to conventional SD cards.

See also: 5 things we’d like to see in an Xbox portable console

To remain relevant to modern gaming, a new portable PlayStation would need to have internal NVMe storage, such as that used on the better tiers of Valve’s Steam Deck. It also wouldn’t have to support proprietary SD cards to keep up with the growing libraries. These, in turn, would likely have to be based on the SD Express standard – anything else could compromise compatibility with PS5 games that take advantage of the console’s high speeds SSD.

3. Convert the rear touchpad into a front-facing trackpad

In terms of a wide range of control options, the Vita was probably ahead of its time. It is not only supplied with a touchscreen and two analog sticks, but also with motion sensors and a rear-facing “touchpad” for more precise input. The closest comparable device is the as-yet-unreleased Steam Deck (above).

However, as anyone who has used a Vita can confirm, the touchpad was misjudged. Few developers saw a reason to take advantage of it, and even fewer implemented touch controls on the back that improved the experience (Tearaway is the clear exception). It should never have been on the back of the product. It was impossible to see where your fingers were going and far too easy to accidentally tap the pad.

However, a forward facing trackpad would be useful, mostly for strategy games and first person shooters. The Steam Deck has not just one but two and can combine them with motion detection for precise aiming and moving in FPS titles. Even a single trackpad would improve any next-generation Sony product.

4. Bring the DualSense haptics to handhelds

Haptics aren’t usually a selling point when gaming, but in the case of DualSense, they could make a dedicated handheld a little sexier than phones and tablets. Immersion is difficult to achieve with mobile devices and a good feel is one of the few solutions.

Sony would of course have to combine this with a sufficient battery for the motors as well as general improvements to the control scheme of the Vita – for example mirroring the buttons and triggers available for PS5 players. It could also offer larger, more stable analog sticks from the start – a home industry has developed around Vita stick upgrades over the years, which is enlightening.

If a handheld can play the same games as a PS4 or PS5, it should also be able to transfer accounts, saved games, and settings. The cross-device synchronization is becoming more and more natural in the PC / Xbox world, so that it seems arbitrary for Sony to split up consoles and handhelds again.

Where Sony may need nudging is cross-buy and cross-play. Rival Microsoft increasingly recognizes that sales are sales and that people are not eager to buy the same thing twice. While many games were cross-buy eligible, Sony wasn’t all-in with that philosophy in the Vita era and could quickly bring itself to ruin by asking gamers to pay extra for two platforms on a modern handheld. People are already upset about having to pay publishers to upgrade some PS4 games for PS5.

Related: The best handheld consoles

Sony has a checkered history of cross-play with other platforms, but its notoriously tenacious stance has waned in recent years. Allowing your portable players to mix with PC, Xbox, and Switch players would be a must.

An unlikely but overwhelming feature would be game state synchronization. The PS5 can keep the state of its last active game in sleep mode – imagine if you could transfer that data to a handheld and pick up right where you left off. It would take some operating system work, but it would be a clear advantage over mobile gaming.

Are we going to see a new PlayStation portable console?

At this point in Sony’s history, a new PlayStation portable console seems unlikely. The company is undoubtedly jealous of the Switch’s success, but with several documented bugs, it would have to find a radically different approach to warrant trying again (maybe a PlayStation phone?). This could include many of the ideas mentioned here, but maybe not. Iteration isn’t always the best answer – if Nintendo had just iterated on the Wii U, for example, we wouldn’t have had the Switch.

Sony is likely happy with its situation. The PS5 has set sales records and is still hard to come by without paying scalpers. The return to handhelds could mean jeopardizing profits and taking over not just Nintendo and Valve, but games on phones and tablets as well.

Would you like to see another portable PlayStation? Let us know in the poll above and in the comments.