Shuhei Yoshida analyses the reasons behind the PS Vita's failure

Former Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida recently shared his insights in a new interview regarding the PS Vita and why the small handheld console failed in the market. Despite its impressive hardware for the time and competitive pricing, Sony's handheld could never compete with Nintendo's 3DS, ultimately selling only between 10 and 15 million units—a stark contrast to its predecessor, which sold over 80 million units.

According to Yoshida, one of the main reasons for the Vita's failure was that Sony's resources were split between the Vita and the PlayStation. He explained that the company prioritised the PlayStation 4, which led to the Vita being somewhat side-lined. Yoshida also admitted that the decision to use Vita-exclusive memory cards created a significant problem, especially since it forced consumers to bear additional costs.

He also mentioned the console's rear touchpad, which seemed promising during development but was rarely utilised in games and ultimately became an unnecessary extra cost. Similarly, he pointed out that the beautiful OLED screen, while impressive, was an unnecessary expense, eventually replaced by a much cheaper LCD screen in later models.

Lastly, Yoshida hinted that the lack of TV output on the Vita negatively impacted sales. Early prototypes of the Vita had this feature, but it was removed from the final production model, limiting how consumers could use the device.

What did you think of the Vita, and do you still play on the little console today?