The Major Reason Why PlayStation TV Never Lived Up To The Hype
Every company has had its flops, and Sony is no exception. Over the decades, the gaming giant has made waves with its console releases and immense game library, which features franchises like Final Fantasy, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. Despite these hits, there were missteps along the way involving pricing issues or unpolished titles launching on various Sony consoles. Despite these flops, Sony continued to evolve, even if the end result of its efforts occasionally hasn't been up to par with what was expected.
In its push towards innovation, Sony has come up with dozens of projects to further expand on its brand or consoles. The PlayStation TV was one of these ideas that just never seem to take off. The micro-console promised so much in terms of pure hardware, considering it could play PlayStation Vita games on a larger screen and had plenty of streaming support. So why was such a revolutionary piece of tech from Sony an utter failure?
Sony didn't learn from its PlayStation Vita mistake
The PlayStation TV offered a lot more than the Vita. The new system contained features such as PlayStation 4 remote play, PlayStation Now streaming, and was compatible with DualShock 3 and 4 controllers, all set at a reasonable $99 price. Major gaming news outlets also built on the hype, stating it was going to be a "game changer" for the company. But despite all of Sony's efforts to push the PlayStation TV to gamers worldwide in 2014, it just didn't sell.
The PlayStation TV was doomed to fail from the start. The micro-console wasn't a bad idea, but seeing as the PlayStation Vita — Sony's previous handheld — didn't do too well, it's not too much of a surprise that the PlayStation TV would meet the same fate. The new system was closely associated with the Vita, and the handheld's lack of popularity didn't bode well for the PlayStation TV.
Sony never released sales figures for the console, which could mean that it didn't look great for the company. What is known for sure is that the price of the PlayStation TV dropped to $19.99 less than a year after its release, but that still didn't stop Sony from eventually just shelving it altogether at the end of 2015.