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PlayStation 6 and PlayStation Portable future visions

 The recent PlayStation video about the "simulated" technology in development, discussed between AMD and Sony engineers that will power the PlayStation 6 was interesting from a geek point of view. But from a gameplay perspective, there is - IMO - no need for a PlayStation 6 for another few years. Especially with the limp Xbox is-it-isn't-it launch .  April 2026 Update:  Compatibility with PS5 and PS4 games seems to be locked-in, as anything the PS6 full fat hardware the portable versions should be able to do as well, with near-invisible trade-offs at the silicon level.  Prices are firming up too with estimates around the PlayStation 6 handheld at between $500 to $700 and a PlayStation 6 at $700 to $1,000, depending on the deepening silicon crisis and Sony's budgeting wizards.  Only a few developers around the world could afford to take advantage of it for AAA+ budget games. Everyone else is still barely cutting the skin of the PS5's power, and most western smal...

So, is Gaikai the end for the PS Vita and a way out for Sony?

Lots of tech and big-name sites are doing "yippees" at the prospect of a load of big-name PS games appearing on other formats through Sony's acquired Gaikai service. With the company hiring for Android and iPhone developers, that's pretty much a guarantee that the service will soon be on all mobiles and tablets.

While it opens up huge subscription revenue opportunities for Sony, it means that if Vita doesn't show signs of life in the next year, it can be quietly retired and all dedicated handheld gaming will be in Nintendo's court. All Sony has to do is claim lack of support (which is true) and Vita will quietly retreat to the back of the company's gaming drawer.

The likes of LBP, Uncharted, Killzone and others are splashed across the Gaikai site, suggesting Sony would go full bore with the service, and why not with hundreds of millions of Android and iPhone users out there? Going where the money is makes pure sense.

Hopefully, the Vita will perk up over Christmas and into 2013, but the release list isn't exactly looking healthy despite Yoshida's promise of more unannounced games to come. Ironically, today, Sony is celebrating 5 million PS3 sales in the UK. With the best will in the world, the Vita will probably struggle to reach one million and has only just crept over that mark in Japan.

With gamers holding out for one game to boost the Vita. If Capcom won't play ball, then why would Sony bother to drag out its lifespan beyond next Christmas? Sony will deny any end-of-life until the Vita's dying day, but the gloom is very much in the air.

Currently playing on my Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5


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