As if Sony needed to tell you, the prospect of another PlayStation Vita model is…well, unlikely.
PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida spoke at Europe's EGX gaming event, and he hinted that a Vita successor might not happen. He called the current climate "unhealthy" and again cited the rise of the mobile market as impacting Vita's sales and potential. As reported by Eurogamer :
"People have mobile phones and it's so easy to play games on smartphones. And many games on smartphones are free, or free to start. I myself am a huge fan of PlayStation Vita and we worked really hard on designing every aspect. Touch-based games are fun–there are many games with really good design. But having sticks and buttons make things totally different."
Yoshida added that he hopes the culture of portable games can continue to survive, but the "huge dominance" of mobile gaming makes it tough. On the plus side, when asked about the possibility of another Wipeout (franchise studio Sony Liverpool has closed), Yoshida said "never say never." They definitely should try to make that happen.
As for the Vita, it's only a matter of time. Developer support remains low, Sony hasn't been interested in AAA games for the system for some time, there are only a few Japanese-centric exclusives on the horizon, and most games on Vita are available on PS4/PS3. It's just not working out the way Sony had hoped but indeed, there are culture and market reasons.