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June Update: 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 .  June 2026 Update : The latest snippet of gossip for Sony's next-gen systems is a modular/external drive that will connect to both devices. Allowing installation on the portable of physical games, and reducing the cost of the PS6 by making the Blu-ray an accessory (like the PS5 Slim).  I prefer the idea of a dedicated dock on the PS6 that connects the next Portable to your entire PSN library, and they'd better make it work as an extra controller, but I'm sure there are practical benefits to the extra drive.   That should also boost sales of PS4 and PS5 physical games, especially on the second-hand market, as folk...

So, 2013 wasn't exactly the Vita's year, how about 2014?

That's a slightly loaded title, sorry. But from the perspective of a typical Cro-magnon gamer, the Vita failed to shine in 2013. It had some small victories, sparked by a resurgence in indies, but dragging us down the Vita basically vanished as a target for western third-party developers with no further adventures in the worlds of Assassin's Creed (although that might be down to a delay), Call of Duty or the other big names.

There was no more Need for Speed and FIFA 14 was an even lazier port than before. On the plus side, we got Sony's studios pulling a major effort on Killzone Mercenaries and Tearaway, and enjoyed a whole world of great indies thanks to Shahid and team.

Even better news were resurgent hardware sales in Japan, with the Vita running a distant second behind the 3DS but setting itself as popular enough for Japanese developers to throw resources at it and not just the usual eroge or visual novel fodder.

So, 2014's release schedule is heavily bent in favour of indies (Tempest 2xK, yum) and some third-party Japanese translations. Plus the inevitable questions of when we get the next instalment of Gravity Rush, plus Freedom Wars and Japan Studios other offerings. There's also this effort from Sony to bring back older games across the PlayStation family, all of which could bring ripe fruit.

But the big question remains, is Sony selling enough in the west to attract any developers? Based on their rather nervous percentages, I don't think so, and as much as most hopes seem to rest with Borderlands 2 (a game that just went free for PS+ users on PS3) things are again reliant on Sony pulling out some unannounced blockbusters which I'd imagine it is reticent to invest in, given the poor sales.

Of course, things could change! Sony could announce three million sales over Christmas in the west and a new army of third party titles... I'm waiting! In the mean time, I'll enjoy what I can get on the world's greatest handheld and love every minute of it, see you in 2014 (let us know how you expect the Vita's adventure to continue...).

Currently playing on my Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5


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