Vita is a great handheld and the successor to my all-time favourite handheld - the PSP. While its predecessor sold over 80 million units, Vita has just now managed to reach about a tenth of those sales. Sony could have saved it however in 2013. Here's how:

• God Of War: Ascension should have been a VITA game: North America is the territory where Vita is struggling the most and God Of War is easily one of Sony's best-selling franchises in the region. Besides the series has also sold very well on PSP as Chains Of Olympus and Ghost Of Sparta have sold 3.26 and 1.20 million units respectively (Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-05-god-of-war-series-has-sold-over-21-million-copies). Also in such a case Ascension would have had better reviews due reviewers not comparing it with God Of War III and would have sold better with less production costs.
• Gran Turismo Vita should have been released instead of Gran Turismo 6: Europe has been more welcoming to the Vita than North America and Gran Turismo is Sony's premier IP in Europe. Thus a new Gran Turismo for the Vita with Gran Turismo 6 level of quality would have helped sustain higher sales for the handheld in Europe. It would have also further helped in sales in North America and even Japan.
• Make a new model with calling functionality: A Vita model with dual sim support would have helped it to sell very well throughout the world. Also PlayStation Mobile should have been pre-installed on these new models.
• Release Tearaway in October: Tearaway would have been more hyped up if it had been released in October and wouldn't have had to compete with the PS4 launch a week earlier, the Xbox One laaunch on the same day, Super Mario 3D World and A Link Between Worlds on the same day.

It's a great handheld and had tons of potential. The only problem is no one wanted to make games for it in the West.

Couldn't you just like waited for a week? We already had our weekly "how to save the vita" thread this week

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=181571&page=1#24

anyway good points.. but they are only if.. if.. if.. we'll never know if it would have helped

Even Sony didn't lol. They gave PS3 too much love.

I'm quite happy with the way the system has gone actually. The lack of big support has led to much better exposure for other software that would have been buried with the big IPs dominating.

I agree, Ascension and GT6 should have been Vita games...

With the calling functionality, NO. I don't think is needed, after the bad experience with the locked 3G, I doubt anyone would want those function on their vitas... and i don't think is a must. There's skipe and works great.

Yeah, TEARAWAY release date wasn't so great. killzone mercenary's either (just two weeks before GTA5)... anyway i doubt anyother date should have make things better... but a Bundle of Vita + tearaway + Digital LBP would have done marvels on the cristmas season... but SCEA didn't think about it.. let's hope SONE western studios notice more our handheld.

Finally, a great thread and points that I can agree with. God of was and Gran Turismo could have made a huge difference.

As for calling functionality, I have to disagree. I don't think it'd help. No one would use it as a phone as it is. It's just too big. That's part of the problem with vita. I can't put it in my pocket, so I only carry it with me in my bag. Pspgo was much better in that regard.

Tearaway could have done a bit better, but even LBP vita didn't end up doing well despite being such a good game and releasing in September (?).

By having more games..... Shocking I know!

Great Post!

Add Ratchet and Clank Nexus to the equation. The last thing is that the team that worked on Killzone should have instead been working on The Bioshock Vita game.

Essentially Sony sacrificed the Vita for the PS3 to have a great send off. With all the 3rd party titles, all the PS3 really needed was TLOU and that should have been the only AAA exclusive for the system last year.

GoW: A should have been a vita exclusive with the multiplayer of course.
Sly Cooper should have been Vita exclusive as well.
Killzone Should have released in the summer.
Puppeteer should have been a Vita exclusive in September.
Tear Away in Octobor.
Gran Turismo should have been Vita exclusive and released in Nov.

along with a price cut to 179$ in march. that would have at least made the Vita reach OK levels.