Based on chatting to PlayStation gamers over the years, many are still curious as to why the store does not offer the option to a range of casino games such as Megaways. Whilst many console games have begun featuring certain gambling aspects in their games, the PlayStation Vita has been unable to keep up with the same evolving trends. The PS Vita does not offer the player a great deal when it comes to exciting handheld casino experiences, especially compared to it’s older brother the PSP.
Now, 2020 has been a huge year for online industries. The worldwide pandemic forced many land-based businesses to close, leading to a boom in online trade – both video gaming and casino gaming included. The numerous global lockdown periods which ensued from the pandemic resulted in tens of millions of people flocking to their video game consoles to keep themselves in high spirits. The same lockdown periods saw a huge spike in searches for online casinos. With people bored at home, many UK residents discovered online casino gaming to keep themselves occupied and entertained.
Megaways Casino told us that 2020 has seen a huge spike in UK internet users searching for a place to play Megaways slots, they said:
“2020 has seen huge swathes of the population spend more of their spare time in doors and consequently online.
“The traffic to our site increases rapidly whenever the UK is in lockdown. Whilst we would prefer everyone’s lives to continue as normal, we are pleased that we are able to offer our customers some excitement during these turbulent times.
“Our users can use Megaways Casino to play Megaways slots and these games are now some of the most popular online slots in the world. A greater number of casinos are adding them to their libraries.”
Might PlayStation be missing out on a huge market if they have not been able to cater to the increasing population who actually want to see gambling in video games? Let’s look at the history of the PlayStation Vita to find out.
PlayStation Vita
Despite a remarkable appetite for video games based on gambling in the first decade of the 21st century, by the time the PS Vita was launched in 2011, this hunger had diminished. As a greater number of people were able to access the internet, the online casino industry grew exponentially. By the time the 2010s arrived, gamers who were looking to play casino games would gamble for real money instead of playing a casino simulator on their game consoles.
Although you will still find a few gambling themed video games on the Vita, they are few and far between. Backgammon Blitz is one, which was released in 2014, was well received. On the other hand, handheld game consoles have quickly gone out of fashion due to superior mobile phone technology dominating the handheld gaming market.
PlayStation 4
With the advent of the PS4, there was a return of a substantial and diverse range of gambling related games. They proved popular enough that Sony Interactive Entertainment even devoted space to showcase them on the PlayStation Store. And who can forget the vast casino available to online players in Grand Theft Auto V? But regardless of whether there are standalone games for poker, backgammon or larger casino games which include the likes of Blackjack and Roulette they all have one thing in common… Unsurprisingly, these games are just played for fun and no real money changes hands.
And with the PlayStation 5 now on the scene, this is unlikely to change. A port of Grand Theft Auto V is on the way which will give gamers a next gen casino fix but it’s unlikely that we’ll see announcements of a brand-new dedicated casino console game.
Final Words
Unfortunately, the PlayStation Vita remains a fair distance behind even ordinary mobile phone devices when it comes to handheld gameplay. Gamers are now able to pick up their mobile phones, go to the app store and pick from thousands of free gaming apps.
You can use a mobile phone to both play ordinary games as well as casino games. Unfortunately for Sony, their handheld PS Vita and PSP have become out-dated. Technological advancements and easy access to the internet unfortunately led to the demise of the gambling genre on PlayStation devices. It does not look like we will be seeing Megaways casino games on any of PlayStation’s devices any time soon.
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