The Writing On The Wall: Sony Tops Selling PS TV In Japan

When Sony came out with the PlayStation TV, known as the PlayStation Vita TV in some markets, in 2013, it had an opportunity to capitalize on a new yet niche market. To say that it botched that chance is perhaps an understatement. So it might not come as a complete surprise that Sony has officially but rather quietly revealed on the PS TV's product page that it is ceasing the stales of the device in Japan. It will only be a matter of time before that happens in other markets as well.

Truth be told, even Sony itself doesn't know how to best describe the PS TV. As a mini-console, it lacks many of the games that the PlayStation platform is known for. But as a streaming device, it is easily outclassed by other set-top boxes substantially cheaper than even its heavily reduced $40 price tag. Even more laughable perhaps, while the gaming device partly shares a name and a heritage with the PS Vita handheld, it only shares in a fraction of its gaming catalog.

The PS TV never really gained market traction, something Sony also admits. Retailers more than halved the initial $99 price tag just to recoup losses. Even that might have been of no help to delay the inevitable. The PS TV is dead, at least in Japan. Although it took a year for the device to reach the US, it will probably take a lot less time for it to be officially declared dead there as well. Sony fans and console collectors might do well to consider getting their hands on what could be the last batches of the device. That is, if they're willing to add the PS TV to their personal annals of gaming history.

This, in addition to recent events, might not inspire much confidence in the Vita line itself. Even Sony's relatively more popular handheld was noticeably missing from last year's E3 conference, causing many to wonder when, not if, the Vita is on the way out. Perhaps, hopefully, to make room for something better.

VIA: Game Informer