Recently, Sony announced that it will stop the production of PlayStation Vita (PSV). In fact, as early as 2015, Sony has given up developing games for PSV. The PlayStation Vita without new work has no soul, and after more than three years, it finally ushered in. The true end of oneself

Let me talk about the PSP from a historical perspective.

PlayStation Vita was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011 and released in North America on February 15, 2012. An improved version of the 2000 model was introduced in 2013 and 2014

PlayStation Vita is an upgraded version of PSP. In fact, compared to PSP, although PlayStation Vita has added touch function, it is hard to say that it is fundamentally different from PSP. From the product concept, it is more like a regular performance. Upgrade, the increase in touch function did not provoke a chemical reaction

PSP was very popular in China in the past, of course, in the era of the former smart phone. At that time, the PSP was rich in functions, not only can be used for playing games, but also can be used as a large MP4, while the Nokia mobile phone at that time had a single function. The screen is too small to be an entertainment terminal

And PSP is equipped with network functions, game functions, picture browsing functions, music playback functions, and even you can use it as a camera (requires external devices). This positioning is indeed true for Chinese consumers. Very attractive

By looking at these functions, you can see that Sony is still working hard on the game. Other parts are just attached functions. For example, the network function, the browser is inconvenient to operate, the speed of opening the webpage is extremely slow, and there is almost no real Practicality

And the game part also encountered a big challenge. Sony is running the PSP with hardware that doesn’t make money and the game guarantees profits. But the emergence of cracking makes China a sacred place for pirated games. After installing the homemade system, you can play all kinds of masterpieces in the first time

PS Vita A product that focuses on the wrong.

In order to solve this problem, Sony introduced the PlayStation Vita, the system protection is more strict, and can’t be cracked in the first time

However, PlayStation Vita was not a good time. Before the launch of the iPhone, the iPhone began to appear, which made the PlayStation Vita’s various functions uncompetitive. Its music, network and expandability are compared to smartphones

In fact, the handheld has always been a niche market. This market needs the support of the core players. The first need to buy the console, and the second need to continuously support the game. For the average consumer, whether it is Europe or America or China. The group that can really pay the two kinds of expenses at the same time will not have a large proportion

And many of PlayStation Vita’s games are stand-alone. For the 90s and even 00s that grew up in the Internet era, a game that can’t interact with users is not too attractive

Although there is no clear data on the composition of the people who buy PlayStation Vita, but by the author’s observation, a large part of people are between 85 and 95 years old

The small crowd is not really cold for the handheld, and few people with older ages have a clear affection for the game

Therefore, the positioning of PlayStation Vita is a game-based, other entertainment-assisted integrated entertainment device. This positioning is very awkward, and its additional features are not competitive, and can not be compared with smartphones

And the main game part is destined to only radiate a small group, unable to achieve a large amount of hardware sales and software revenue, unable to maintain the income of the interests of all parties supporting the chain

Gene deficiency The difference in Internet thinking.

Why is PlayStation Vita released in 2011, and there will be such positioning problems? In fact, we have to look at the overall situation in Japan

Japan is actually lagging behind in the Internet age. Currently, among the global Internet companies, the Japanese have few figures, and more are dominated by American and Chinese companies. Japan is strong in the field of precision manufacturing such as traditional semiconductors

At the same time, looking at Japanese culture, its involution trend is more obvious. Due to the steady development of the economy for many years, a stable class composition has been formed. It is said that Japan has suffered from “lost 30 years” since the 1990s, and development has begun to stagnate

But in fact, Japan’s economy is still relatively stable, people’s wage income has always maintained a high level, of course, its expenditure pressure is greater. This economic situation has led to the rapid development of various subcultures. The animation game industry is actually the performance of the Japanese subculture

From the industrial and cultural point of view, there is no large-scale Internet innovation in Japan. Many Japanese prefer stand-alone games, their own idols, and their own brands. This is not caused by national pride. More It is the high impact of the economy on social thought

Niche positioning Switch can be considered successful.

PlayStation Vita is based on this kind of soil, and it is difficult for a team in such an environment to create a product like the iPhone. It’s no surprise that PlayStation Vita continues the idea of PSP

Even after Nintendo launched the Switch a few years later, there is no essential difference between the operation mode of PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation Vita. However, Switch is more pure and does not build itself as an entertainment center. Its design is more Designed to allow players to enjoy a variety of game fun

Currently, the sales volume of Switch has reached more than 20 million units, and this sales volume has been achieved in two years. The performance is still very good

But Switch is also destined to be a niche product, and it has also encountered a problem of cracking. However, the author believes that as a game console, its positioning is accurate and successful at the same time, and it has no real meaning

Sony announced that there is no follow-up plan, which is related to the overall strategy of the Sony Group. It also reflects that Sony has no clear idea for the future of the console. Taking the old road of the handheld, the problem is still the same. On the road to heaven, Sony has no obvious advantages in machine design and game innovation