Handheld consoles are making a big comeback, but Shawn Layden believes the PS Vita’s failure highlighted one thing: you can’t just shrink the living room experience into your pocket. Instead, the key lies in creating unique handheld experiences built for the format.

The handheld market is booming again. Beyond the Nintendo Switch 2’s hybrid approach, players today can enjoy their games on devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion GO, or the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally. PlayStation once entered this space with the PSP and later the PS Vita, but Shawn Layden, former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, says the latter represented a major mistake that taught the company an important lesson.

Speaking to the HipHopGamer YouTube channel (via GamesRadar+), Layden explained: “One of the mistakes we made with Vita was insisting on delivering a living room experience, a 10-foot experience on a 10-inch screen.”

“Winning in the handheld space isn’t about converting the home console experience to a smaller screen. It’s about creating truly great handheld experiences. Don’t try to make the big thing fit—understand what the handheld space can do, and build compelling games around that. That’s what will keep people coming back.”

PS Vita Failed Because Sony Split Resources with PS4

This isn’t the first time PlayStation has reflected on the Vita’s missteps. Shuhei Yoshida, former president of SIE Worldwide Studios, has also admitted that Sony shouldn’t have split its resources between supporting both PS Vita and PS4. The workload proved overwhelming, causing many handheld projects to be scrapped and shifting priority toward home console development.

Source: 3djuegos