My sentiments exactly. The Vita's full potential never saw the light of day, and it's really telling how much commitment they're willing to give to a product that isn't performing within their sales projection.

Heck, Sony never even revealed what the accessory port on the OLED Vita does! Damage already done anyway, so they could just say, "Hey guys, that port is actually for video output, but we're not gonna sell the cables cuz we want you to buy a Vita TV!"

Pretty much this.

But it also had me thinking that the Vita's power somehow deterred most big western publishers to invest on the platform early in its life.

Making a triple A game on a beefier hardware means higher development costs, so most publishers were probably reluctant to make exclusive games for such a small install base (also taking into account the shrinking market share of dedicated gaming handhelds). So, we could probably assume that they were playing the waiting game until more people bought Vitas.

Unfortunately, potential buyers were doing the same thing too, especially with the high barrier of entry thanks to the ridiculous prices of the memory cards. I also think that the Vita's momentum in the US started to drop after Black Ops Declassified was released. A proper COD game could've been a game changer, paving the road to more future projects for the platform.

And while it is true that Sony ditched the poor handheld too soon, they did at least try in the first few years. Some first-party games aside, they also had Third Party Productions to approach publishers and port games that would be highly unlikely to happen outside a joint venture (how we got Borderlands 2, RE: Revelations 2, and other indie games).

The team gave a lot of Vita fans hope as it was apparent at the time that Sony's first-party studios were already moving on to the PS4, but a lot of the big-name publishers just didn't care about the Vita anymore.

A bit harsh, considering that the Vita is the only PlayStation console capable of playing:

• PSOne games
• PSP games
• Select ports of PS2 and PS3 games (PS Now is also available, although it will be discontinued soon)
• PS4 games via Remote Play
• PS Mobile games (before it was given the axe)
• And of course, Vita games

But if we're talking about the collective support that it has gotten since launch, then it's pretty much up there. It's baffling that Sony didn't just market it as PlayStation's ultimate legacy console.

Ship sailed a long time ago though, so we'll just have to wait and see if they're gonna scrap their handheld division in the near future.I hope they don't and actually learn from their mistakes. No more expensive proprietary BS, Sony. Please.

• Toukiden 2
• Project Diva Future Tone
• Megadimension Neptunia VII
• Dragon Quest Builders

Also, Tearaway Unfolded. Maybe you can give this a pass if you've already played the Vita version, but I think Tearaway deserves more love.

Toukiden is more or less MH-lite, focusing on a more fast-paced action and interesting narrative.

You could always try the demo out, which is available on both PS4 and the Vita. It also allows you to transfer your progress to the full game, along with other bonuses. I think the demo did a good job selling this game's strong points.

There are four bosses in the demo, so you could easily spend plenty of time collecting their armor sets and weapons. Not to mention a large area of the open world available for you to explore.

@Coco_pierrot:

Speaking of NISA, I was kinda bummed that they have no plans on releasing Demon Gaze 2 just yet—probably because it's a Vita exclusive compared to Kadokawa's other games (Root Letter and God Wars).

The Ys announcement made up for it, I guess. I was expecting XSeed to do that though :(

@SoAmazingBaby:

It's still getting plenty of titles this year (localized games + indies), but without a new handheld from Sony, Japanese devs are already transitioning from PS4/PSV to PS4-only titles.

Also, depending on how the Switch performs there, it's either that the handheld developers completely jump ship or release Switch/Vita titles to test the waters first.

@itstotallymike:

Soul Sacrifice Delta and Freedom Wars are great hunting action games. Story and lore of the former is top-notch while the latter has more multiplayer features (group and individual leaderboards, co-op, PvP). I can't comment if the online communities for the two are still active though.

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is a turn-based RPG, but has an interesting mechanic where you foster the lineage of your clan. They're cursed to have extremely short lifespans, so you have to keep making descendants throughout the game. If you also play DRPGs and is tolerant to fanservice, get Demon Gaze and Dungeon Travelers 2.

Killzone Mercenary is a must to any FPS fan, while Tearaway would make you appreciate your Vita more with its fantastic use of the hardware. Get WipEout 2048 for your futuristic racing fix.

Since you like survival horror, you might want to give the Corpse Party series a spin. Not exclusive to Vita, but they're readily available on the PS Store (2 PSP games + 1 Vita). Maybe Yomawari too, which is also available on Steam.

Honorable mentions: Gravity Rush (got a port and the sequel on the PS4), Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (has a PS3 port), Ys: Memories of Celceta (ARPG with an open-world feel), Unit 13 (mission-based TPS), DJ Max Technika Tune (touch-based rhythm game)

Also, Vanillaware games (Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown aren't exclusives, but portability + they look pretty on the OLED Vita!)

And of course, the obligatory Persona 4 Golden recommendation :P

@Coco_pierrot: Great list! I should really try out the Zero Escape series some time later too.

I'm currently trying to blaze through KanColle Kai before I go back to Gundam Breaker and WOFF.

Why do I keep playing super grindy games?

Depends. What kind of games do you usually play?

Several exclusives aside, JRPGs and indies are the Vita's bread and butter.