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Possible new PlayStation Portal model pays homage to the Vita's OLED

While much of the focus on PlayStation's next steps is the PS6 and PS6 Portable , the two-year old PlayStation Portal could be getting a revamp according to those pesky internet rumours.  Update : Hints at pricing are around £/$250-299 for the new model, but everything remains deeply in rumours territory. Presumably the goal is to hit the 10% (currently 7%-ish) adoption rate among PS5 owners, something that would make it a bone fide hit gadget.   The recent February  PlayStation State of Play  saw no announcement. But, PlayStation needs to make Portal more a core member of the PS5 family, rather than the distant cousin that most of its appearances suggest.  As the improvement in connectivity and streaming tech, proven by many gamers enjoying their PS5 or PlayStation Plus streamed content from around the world, an updated Portal Pro could be on the cards.  Possibly featuring a 120Hz display and an OLED screen in honour of the mighty Vita, that'd be coo...

Remote Play may kill core Vita development

Here's a little bit of history with my tech-writer hat on:

  • In the 80s/90s, IBM launched versions of OS/2 with DOS (and then Windows) support. No one much bothered to develop OS/2 apps unless IBM paid them, as they could use the Windows apps. OS/2 died horribly.
  • More recently, BlackBerry launched BB10 OS with limited Android app support. Not that many people developed bespoke BlackBerry apps. BlackBerry app development collapsed, as is the company. 
  • This month, Sony launched the PlayStation 4 with Remote Play for the Vita. The Vita now plays PS4 games. 

So, who would develop a PS Vita game that will sell maybe 100,000 copies (likely less) when it could develop a more powerful PS4 game on a booming high-profile platform, that could sell a million?

The answer is Sony, with a bonus point for third-party developers that Sony pays (see Assassin's Creed). And looking (outside Japan) there are few games coming from third parties outside Traveller's Tales titles.

Indies are a different case with smaller profit needs, access to a tight platform that's easy enough to port/code for, and a keen captive market looking for quick-and-fun entertainment.

So, while there's some hope that increased Vita sales on the back of Remote Play and PS4/Vita bundles will see more games from third-parties come out, don't hold your breath.

Currently playing on my Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5


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