Lessons for Sony’s Next Handheld Console to Learn from the Resurgent Game of Bingo

PS Vita - Front

The PS Vita and the game of bingo are completely different entities in every single way bar one: they both faded from popularity due to a failure to appeal to modern audiences. Bingo, however, has made a tremendous comeback over the last few years, though, hinting that there’s still hope for Sony if they wish to jump back into the handheld market again when they embark on the next generation of gaming.

Despite the PS Vita being unceremoniously discontinued in March 2019, people have been finding evidence of a potential successor. In November 2019, an article at https://www.t3.com/news/ unveiled that a new patent had been taken out by Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. which mapped out a new game cartridge.

While it’s not concrete evidence of a PS Vita successor, it does suggest that Sony is, at least, exploring the idea of bringing in a new generation of handheld gaming, perhaps in response to the rampant success of the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite.

To achieve an almighty comeback on this front, the next portable PlayStation product must follow in the footsteps of the resurgent game of bingo.

Software is everything in gaming

If this current console war has taught us anything through its respective console unit sales, it’s that software wins every time. The Xbox One is consistently hailed as the most powerful console, but that didn’t stop the PlayStation 4, and now the Nintendo Switch, outselling it by a wide margin. It all came down to the new exclusive games on offer.

Compare this to the primary component behind the big bingo comeback, which has been its move to the much more expansive online space. Now at https://bingo.paddypower.com/, bingo players can find a huge range of bingo rooms that they simply can’t anywhere else, such as the Topaz Room, the Green Room, Housey Bingo, Deal or No Deal, Grease, and more.

A platform has to have exciting games which demand that players use it to play the games. This was one of the downfalls of the PS Vita, with Sony Computer Entertainment executive Masayasu Ito saying that their first-party studios – which made the PS4 a must-have console – weren’t working on PS Vita development as late as three years into its eventual eight-year lifespan, per https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/.

Start strong with enticing games

Bingo has been given a huge boost in its ascendancy by very cleverly integrating the internet’s most popular iGaming titles into the platform. From launch, the PP online bingo platform boasts a wide range of slots, jackpots, and classic games to bring in players from those game types and not just any bingo players looking to play the numbered balls game. It gave bingo a ready-set audience as it then sought to build back the bingo player base.

The next Sony portable device, should it come into existence, must also have a strong start. The device must have several enticing games from the start, even ports of massively popular titles to give fans a new way to play on-the-go. Massive PS4 titles like the latest God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Marvel’s Spider-Man could be top-class ports, but they’ll also need to introduce big-name, high-quality console exclusives.

As stated by the chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s worldwide studios, Shawn Layden, at https://www.polygon.com/2019/, the PS Vita never reached a critical mass with its audience, so developers didn’t get behind the console, leading to people not buying the hardware. Sony has to take control of the console’s fate, bring in popular games and create its own to make the next handheld a must-have device.

Bingo has shown that a form of gaming can win back an audience and even expand its player base with the right moves. The next PS handheld must follow in the footsteps of bingo, bring in a grand range of exclusive games while also appealing to other audiences with games ported from the PS4. Most importantly, the device must start with a strong library of games supported by its parent company; otherwise, it’ll be forgotten by gamers.

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About Simon Plumbe 1056 Articles
Husband, father and lifelong geek. Originally from the West Midlands, now spending my days in South Wales with my family and a house full of animals. Passionate about video games, especially retro gaming, the Commodore 64 and PlayStation Vita. Love pro wrestling, sci-fi and I'm an animal lover and vegetarian. Enjoyed this and my other articles? Why not buy me a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/simonplumbe