Sony's executive vice president claims that the company is done developing first-party games for the PlayStation Vita, leaving Vita support to other devs instead.

PlayStation Vita owners are well aware that Sony has been largely ignoring the device ever since the unveiling of the PlayStation 4, but the system has never been much of a success. The Vita struggled right out of the gate, thanks to overpriced memory cards and a lack general lack of interest, with most gamers having their handheld gaming needs met by mobile devices and the Nintendo 3DS.

With the right amount of first-party support, however, the Vita could have its misfortunes turned around. Unfortunately, that's simply not on the cards at Sony, as the company has now outright admitted that there are no first-party PlayStation Vita titles in development at all.

In an interview with 4Gamer in Japan, Sony's executive vice president Masayasu Ito explained that Sony will let third-party developers create games for the Vita, while Sony focuses on developing for the PlayStation 4.

“Currently, there are no first party titles that are in development for the PlayStation Vita. Third party companies are working hard on the PlayStation Vita, so we here at SCE have strategized to focus on our new platform of PlayStation 4.”

For PS Vita owners, this is disappointing news for sure, but not surprising in the least. It wasn't long after the system's launch that first-party support dwindled drastically, and then Sony began porting all the high quality Vita exclusives to PS3 and PS4. In fact, one of the few critically acclaimed Vita exclusives remaining is being ported to the PS4, in Gravity Rush HD. Couple that with Sony's Andrew House referring to the Vita as a "legacy platform", and it's clear to see that the Vita hasn't been high on Sony's priority list for quite some time.

While Sony could potentially save the PS Vita by implementing the rumored price drop and releasing a string of high quality exclusives that can only be played on the device, they are clearly not interested in doing so. At this juncture, the only real reason to own a PS Vita for those that aren't into niche JRPGs is to make use of its remote play functionality, which allows players to play PS4 games on the Vita. Not all games make great use of this feature, but some developers go to great lengths to ensure that their PS4 games control well on the device, such as is the case with the Fallout 4 PS Vita remote play that's on the way for Bethesda's upcoming blockbuster.

The PS Vita showed potential at first, but due to a combination of different factors the device has more or less been a failure, especially when compared to its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable. Since Sony is dedicating its resources to the PS4 entirely and has no interest in supporting the Vita, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that the PS Vita will be the last dedicated gaming handheld from the company.

How do you feel about Sony no longer supporting the PlayStation Vita with first-party titles? Are you satisfied with the third-party support for Vita, or do you use it for other things, such as playing PS4 games remotely? Let us know your thoughts on the current state of the PlayStation Vita in the comments below.

Source: Game Informer