Sony is putting an end to the PlayStation Vita TV saga in Japan. This comes in just over two years after the PSTV was first launched in the domestic market back in November 2013.
Sony though isn’t offering any explanation for the move though analysts are quick to point out this could be a direct fallout of the lean phase that the PlayStation TV was having to deal with off late.
In fact, with sales figure standing at 185,000 since launch, the PlayStation Vita TV might never have taken off in Japan in the first place.
Along with the PSTV, production of the DualShock 3 as well as the memory card that accompanied the TV too will come to an end.
Sony had initially launched the PlayStation Vita TV with the intention of allowing those having a PS Vita TV to continue enjoying their games on a bigger screen.
The PS Vita TV came with the same internals as the Vita, which comprised of Quad-core PowerVR graphics chip and Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU chip.
Apart from the ability to play several PlayStation Vita games along with all PlayStation One, and PlayStation Portable games on the television, the PSTV also allowed the user to stream video or access other web services as well.
However, the PlayStation TV continues to be on sale in the US where it was launched in the fall of 2014. Sony hasn’t stated if the mini console will be pulled from the North American market as well though it won’t be surprising if that happens as it has never really been the most sought after. This, in spite of the fact that it has been price quite affordable at $99 with prices dropping to $50 more recently.
Sony also has a bundle offer with the PlayStation Vita TV, which comprises of the Dual Shock 3 controller, HDMI cable, USB cable, an 8GB memory card as well as The Lego Movie Videogame, all for just $139.
Experts opine one of the reasons the PSTV failed to hit the customer sweet spot is that it was able to play only a few Vita games, which again were never popular. That is not all for the mini console never really could function as a full-fledged media hub as well. It came across as a sort of half-hearted attempt on part of Sony.
