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2022 was an incredible year for handheld gaming
2022 was stellar for handheld gaming. Between the Steam Deck, Playdate and an explosion of retro consoles, we received an embarrassing amount of mobile gaming goodness this year, and cloud play is only encouraging more innovation.
Sony shouldn't have killed the Vita
The Vita is still a standout in a crowded handheld market. Why did Sony have to kill it?
Limited Run Games shows the Vita some love as it revives 14 games
It's not unusual for games developers to use E3 to announce upcoming titles, but it is pretty leftfield for a studio to reveal plans to launch 50 -- FIFTY -- forthcoming releases. But that's exactly what Limited Run Games has done. At its press conference during the expo, the company -- which specializes in producing physical copies of otherwise digital-only independent console games -- announced a slew of new projects and crossovers for the Switch, PS4, Nintendo 3DS and the system that just won't die, the PlayStation Vita.
Watch Sony's PlayStation stream here at 5PM ET/2PM PT
The first episode of Sony's live streaming State of Play event will take place today at 5PM ET/2PM PT. The Nintendo Direct/Inside Xbox-style event will feature game reveals, trailers and gameplay footage of upcoming titles for the PS4 and PS VR. You can watch the live stream on Twitch, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube via the video embedded below.
Sony officially discontinues the PlayStation Vita
You knew the PlayStation Vita wasn't long for this world, and now it's official: Sony has discontinued the last two Vita models. The move marks the last step of a long, gradual phase-out that included a halt on first-party games in 2015, the discontinuation of physical games and the end to PS Plus freebies. If you're looking for the handheld, you'll either have to get lucky at a retailer (if there are any units left) or track down a second-hand model.
Sony bumps up PlayStation Plus cloud storage limit to 100 GB
One of the major selling points of PlayStation Plus (beyond "free" games and online play) is it offers cloud backups for your game saves and profiles. From early next month, members will have vastly more room to play with, as Sony's boosting the storage capacity from 10 GB to 100 GB. It's a welcome change, as it should help players free up more hard drive space and offer more flexibility for those who want to continue their progress on another system.
Sony game cartridge patent is for a product called Toio, not a new handheld
Correction, 11/28/18, 11:00AM ET: This post originally stated that "a new patent reveals what Sony might have in store for its next attempt at a handheld console." Further research has revealed that this patent was filed in 2017 and relates to a product known as Sony Toio, which was released last year and features cartridges like those found in this patent filing. Our original post remains below. We apologize for the error. Sony didn't see the success it had hoped for with the PlayStation Vita, but despite claims back in 2015 that there wouldn't be a sequel, the company announced earlier this year it wasn't ready to give up on portable gaming after all. Now, a new patent reveals what Sony might have in store for its next attempt at a handheld console.
PlayStation Plus members can get 'Destiny 2' for free right now
September is shaping up to be a bumper month for PlayStation Plus members, as they can get their hands on Destiny 2 for free. It's the type of big-name recent release that Sony doesn't often include in its monthly PS Plus giveaways, and while most of the games in the latest batch will be available from September 4th, you can grab Destiny 2 as a freebie right now.
How the PlayStation Vita compares to legendary handhelds
The PlayStation Vita is hanging on by a thread. Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said in 2015 there was no hope for a follow-up to the handheld console, and since then, the Vita machine has been quietly winding down. Sony is halting production of physical Vita games across Europe and North America on March 31st, 2019, though Sony Japan will continue to churn out carts in the domestic market -- for now.
Sony isn't ready to give up on portable gaming just yet
While the PlayStation Vita didn't exactly set the world alight, there still might be a future in portable gaming for Sony. Gaming division head John Kodera said, according to Bloomberg, that Sony is testing mobile gaming efforts, which he believes should be a part of PlayStation's overall strategy.
Sony will stop making physical PS Vita games in 2019
The PS Vita might still attract new fans thanks to indie releases and JRPGs like Persona 4 Golden, but they're clearly not enough to prevent its impending death. According to Kotaku, Sony's American and European divisions are ending the production of physical Vita games by March 31st, 2019, which is the end of fiscal year 2018. The company has revealed the news in a letter to developers, asking them to submit their final purchase orders by February 15th, 2019.
PSVR mech battler 'Rigs' won't get any new content
Sony today confirmed that there will be no more DLC coming to multiplayer PSVR launch title Rigs. Following the recent closure of developer Guerilla Cambridge, it seems Sony has opted to cut short its initial plan for additional Rigs content. While the ambitious mech-based multiplayer shooter won itself a loyal fan base amongst early PSVR adopters, Sony's decision to close Guerilla Cambridge suggests that the game's sales weren't quite up to expectations. Despite the closure, Sony told Eurogamer that Rigs' online servers will be unaffected, with the game still scheduled to receive patches and other "community support".
The next great indie game is about the dragon apocalypse
There's no such thing as an "overnight success." Sure, some folks get lucky with a snappy catchphrase or a $30 Chewbacca mask and they experience a wave of sudden, unplanned popularity, but generally, people don't achieve their dreams over the course of a single evening. Rich Siegel is living proof of this myth. He's an independent game developer who's been quietly working on his dream title, EarthNight, for years. It's a beautiful, hand-painted platformer about the dragon apocalypse. Players careen across the backs of massive, snake-like dragons as they soar high above the planet, all while an original chiptune soundtrack pounds away in the background. EarthNight has received some scattered press, but it's not a household name. When it finally lands on PlayStation 4 and PC, it will probably be a surprise to most people, another indie game in a sea of new releases. However, there's something special about EarthNight. It has all the trappings of a sleeper hit: It's gorgeous, unique and whimsical, and it feels fresh even as it embodies the nostalgia of classic platformers. It has built-in Twitch streaming capabilities, it's a blast to watch and it features permadeath, which means once players die, they have to start the entire game over. EarthNight inherently caters to competitive people and repeat plays. If any indie game is going to be an "overnight success" in 2017, this is it.
The biggest 'Minecraft' console update of 2016 lands in December
The final Minecraft: Console Edition update of the year is also its largest. The Holiday Update will land in late December, bringing the Elytra (wings that allow players to glide), Amplified Terrain, End Cities, the Dragon's Breath potion ingredient and more features to PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Vita and Wii U. This means that the console versions will be nearly on par with the PC edition, Microsoft promises.
PlayStation platformer 'Shu' has Vita-exclusive goodies
Sony isn't showing the PS Vita handheld any love, but indie developers sure are. The latest example is the 2.5D platformer Shu. "Shu feels right at home on the handheld and is a great experience, especially since it's running at 60 FPS," a post by developer Coatsink on the European PlayStation Blog reads. More than that, the Vita version will have some exclusive bits and bobs when the game comes out sometime later this year. Coatsink says that supporting the handheld is something that the team feels "very strongly about" and it's been hard at work ensuring that the portable version isn't a lazy port.
High-profile Kickstarter games see delays, port cancellations
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, was crowdfunded to the tune of $5.5 million last year, with an ETA of March 2017. It promises to be a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, but this week, project lead Koji Igarashi (known colloquially as IGA) personally announced via Kickstarter that the game will now be pushed back to "the first half of 2018." The delay, IGA says, is because the game is currently at risk of not "meeting [his] quality standards." To that end, he's adding additional developers to the team, who will hopefully be able to put the project back on track. He also offered his apologies to anyone affected by the delay.
PlayStation exec Adam Boyes says he's leaving Sony
Lately, Sony's gaming platforms have enjoyed a ton of support from third party developers big and small, but now one of the people in charge of those relationships is leaving the company. Adam Boyes announced in a series of tweets (and on the PlayStation Blogcast) that he's going back "to the world of game development" that he left in 2012 to become the PlayStation brand's VP of Publisher & Developer Relations. Recently his job as involved bringing game experiences to PlayStation VR, but Boyes has also connected projects like the Grim Fandango remaster and No Man's Sky.
Twitch introduces a PlayStation Vita app
Twitch has released streaming video apps for just about every modern game system under the Sun, but the PlayStation Vita has remained the odd one out... until today. The livestream provider has rolled out a Vita app that, much like the PS3 version, lets you tune into live and pre-recorded gaming sessions as well as follow the channels you can't stop watching. You can't stream anything yourself, alas -- you won't be broadcasting OlliOlli or Severed sessions any time soon. Even so, this could be helpful for those moments when you aren't near your phone, or for kids whose Vita might be their only handheld viewer.
PS Vita slasher 'Severed' is coming to iOS, 3DS and Wii U
Back in April developer Drinkbox Studios, best known for the colorful platformer Guacamelee!, launched a little game called Severed on the PlayStation Vita. As much as we love Sony's handheld, it's not a popular system, so we're not surprised to hear that the game is headed to other platforms. Specifically, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and iOS. If you need a quick recap, Severed is a first-person dungeon crawler starring a one-armed warrior named Sasha. The touch-based controls have you fighting monsters and solving puzzles to overcome its bright but creepy world.
Watch Sony's E3 press conference right here
It's hard to imagine Sony topping last year's E3 press conference. Shenmue 3, The Last Guardian and a remake of Final Fantasy VII was a pretty major jaw-on-the-floor combination. Still, this year could be a doozy, too. We're nearing the launch of the PlayStation VR, so a few extra game announcements wouldn't go amiss. Throw in a new God of War and some fresh footage from Gran Turismo Sport, Dreams and Horizon Zero Dawn -- that's a packed show already. To keep up with the madness, you can watch Sony's livestream here (there's also an audience camera feed for the full you-are-there feeling) and follow along with the Engadget liveblog.