That is, unless they dust off the Vita product line. It might be a fantastic time for Sony to make a move back into the portable market. For years now, the Vita's support has been waning, but there is still a large community that loves what little new content finds its way onto the small device. For its size and age, the Vita is still holding its own, but the lack of support is a little discouraging.
It's hard to tell exactly what Sony is planning with their portable device, but they have said that the mobile gaming and smartphone industry put a damper on the Vita's longevity. While the mobile industry has a hefty following, its games will never compare to their non-mobile counterparts, and that's where the Vita has a leg up on mobile games. Some games are available on both mobile as well as the Vita like Telltale's storytelling games as well as a few indies like Oceanhorn, but you'll never see a full God of War or Ratchet and Clank title on mobile.
In March of 2017, the Switch was released to the public and was nearly an instant classic. The launch lineup was so-so, but developers and gamers alike seem happy with the potential of the new system. One of the major selling points of the Switch is the portability. Nintendo now has two solid portable systems, while Sony is letting the Vita go by the wayside. If they ever decide to invest in another portable system, now might be the perfect time to do so because the portable gaming industry is alive and breathing. Sony can see this, and they have to know that the Vita is still fairly popular, particularly in their Japanese market. They might not have a better time than right now to introduce its successor...or at the very least, update the hardware yet again for a Vita 3000.
Here's some extra food for thought: The Playstation Portable was released in 2004, and the Vita was released in 2011. That is a seven year cycle with the PSP getting a second and third model between '04 and '11, while the Vita only got one hardware upgrade since 2011. It's been six years since the Vita released, so a new Sony handheld could be coming in the next few years regardless of competitors. Would an imminent reveal/release be the right option? Or should they wait until the Switch has lost a bit of momentum?
If Sony releases a new handheld, they're probably going to want to use internal components that can rival the Switch. Can Sony cram enough power into a new Vita to compete? It might be the best approach if they want to get seven years out of the system. Sony has the Playstation 4. There's not a dire need for the Vita to run console games quite like the Switch, but it would definitely be a major selling point if it could.
Finally, with the release of the Playstation VR, it begs the question "Does Sony need another new device to go along side their strong family of hardware". While the argument could be taken far deeper, it seems that portability is quite a popular option in today's gaming world. People are perpetually on the go - A portable game system offers a lot of game time, even when sitting on the living room couch is not an option.
This might be the year Sony finally jumps into the deep end with a new handheld device. At the very least, they might announce or tease something with a new device, and the teaser might drop at E3. In my humble opinion, they should cast the line while the fish are biting.
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