Nintendo is the undisputed king of handhelds, from the Game Boy all the way to the hybrid Switch 2. But that doesn’t mean other companies don’t want in. Microsoft is trying its hand at getting into the handheld space with its Asus ROG Xbox Ally, and PlayStation put in a good few years with the PSP and PS Vita. But, it made one big mistake.
“One of the mistakes we made with Vita, is we were very keen on creating a living room experience and the 10ft experience in a 10-inch space,” says Shawn Layden, the previous president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, on the HipHopGamer podcast.
“To win in handheld is not to bring the best conversion of the console experience to the handheld,” he continues. “To win in handheld is to make great handheld experiences. Don’t try to make that big thing fit in that space. Understand what you can do in the space that’s really interesting, compelling, people want to do it again. I think that’s the content challenge for moving into the handheld area.”
Previously, Sony legend Shuhei Yoshida said the Vita’s proprietary memory card was another reason the console failed.
Microsoft seems to be going the route of simply putting its badge on another company’s hardware, but Layden says that comes with its own set of challenges, too, such as not being able to as effectively control the strategy and how it reflects the Xbox brand.
“I don’t know what Microsoft’s view on how they’re gonna bring their games to handheld [is], I don’t know what that would look like,” he adds.
While you’re here, check out the best gaming handheld of 2025.
