Looks like there's not going to be a successor to the Vita.
Sony claims that the "climate isn't healthy" for a successor.
Right... yet Nintendo found a way to
sell over 53 million 3DS units...
I think Kotaku put it best when it said that it wasn't the "climate" that killed the Vita,
but rather Sony itself.
And this probably didn't help things either..
There is no doubt that Nintendo owns the handheld console market. I'm guessing the New 3DS won't put up anywhere near the same numbers as the original though. People have been talking about smartphones and tablets taking market share from dedicated consoles for years now. I would argue that theory hasn't panned out very well considering how well both the PS4 and Xbox One are selling. The segment it is most likely to be true for is handheld gaming though.
The 3DS put up huge numbers but Nintendo still won't say how the New 3DS is selling. They list a combined total for the 3DS and New 3DS on their quarterly reports. My guess is that with how poorly the Wii U is selling they would be taking every opportunity to tell everyone how great their new handheld was selling if it really was moving great numbers. The fact that they are keeping quiet tells me it's not going very well.
I think the days of handheld consoles are numbered when everyone is carrying around a smartphone and tablet everywhere they go. I personally hate trying to play most games on a touchscreen so I don't bother. I would much rather have a dedicated system but most people don't seem to care.
As for Sony, I think they are making the right move by not continuing the Vita line. I own a original OLED Vita and the fancy Link Between Worlds 3DS XL bundle.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Vita is the better hardware. It feels like a solid piece of technology instead of a kids toy. The UI is miles ahead and the graphics it puts out are much more impressive. That said, it's clear that the Vita was a failed experiment. It doesn't sell and most of the best games on the platform are indies I can get on PS3, PS4, or PC.
Don't get me wrong, there are some cool Vita experiences that are only on Vita and it is a great to be able to fire up Binding of Isaac or Rogue Legacy away from home. I personally get more enjoyment out of the indies on Vita than Nintendo games on my 3DS. I'm obviously the outlier though. The 3DS has way more big name exclusive games and it sells way more units.