It’s a shame, really. The PS Vita all-around has been under-supported. The handheld itself is very nice and most people that own one will tell you no different. There aren’t many games for it, but the handful of great games for it are a joy to play. But there wasn’t enough to entice many gamers to get one, and those expensive proprietary memory cards that just tacked onto the price weren’t helping any, either.
Enter the PlayStation TV which plays almost all your Vita games, upscaled onto your big screen TV, and for a much cheaper price. Utilizing a PS4 controller, it’s like a nice alternative to a PS3. Especially if you’re one of the people that don’t like the DualShock 3 and do like the DualShock 4.
Alas, not even two years into its life, manufacturing of the device has stopped in all regions. They’re still in stores and you can buy them, but stock will eventually run out. It had seemed like it was just gaining popularity, too. This doesn’t affect the PS Vita as it remains in production. In fact, AV Watch reports Sony’s reason is that the PS Vita is selling better now.
So, it appears Sony thinks the PSTV is no longer needed. I get that. I still think it’s too bad. The last device that let us play big title handheld games on our TVs was the Game Boy Player for GameCube, released in 2003, which would take Game Boy Advance cartridges and let you play with a GameCube controller. Nintendo needs to get back on board with running handheld games on TV.
If you had been debating whether or not to get a PSTV, perhaps now is the time before they’re gone.
