Would have to agree with this ^^^

I also can't help but think that the mobile gaming community (I'm talking predominantly about cell phone games and mainstream casual playing people.) would make it hard for a "new" VITA to gain any ground on the market.  Sad I know but unfortunately that is most likely probable, at least at this point in time.

Can they make a successful handheld, probably. But the risc is too high and they should focus on homeconsoles.

Maybe 3 or 4 years ago, it could've helped. It wouldn't make it a best seller, but maybe it could aim for 30 or 40m lifetime if it had a price cut to 175 earlier, cheap memory cards and more support from Sony. But that's a big, big, maybe. We don't know if handhelds will keep selling. Even the 3DS felt this fall. We don't know how well things will go for the Switch.

Right now, I don't see the point. PS4 is selling gangbusters, the money they would expend in a new/rebranded handheld and its marketing would be better expent on PS4 exclusives, more PS4 marketing and exclusivity deals. And this investment would give returns for sure, instead of risking handhelds.

The only thing that could work would be if they managed to create a portable PS4 towards the end of the gen. It would have a massive library and would not need to sell that well because it is just an extra option, like the PS4 Pro.

What do you mean? What niche is it filling?

The niche of Vita buyers. A tiny niche of weirdos.

Maybe if redesigned and rebranded (and repriced) as primarily a PS4 accessory that doubles as a mobile gaming device...nah, wouldn't work either.

If done right, a new PlayStation Phone and Handheld are the only way Sony will ever have a chance at large profits, and a sizable mobile marketshare in the future. Xperia is an absolute waste, and will continue to loose money and marketshare. There is absolutly nothing Sony can do on Android to make their phones attractive to people that already have an Android phone. They have lost 80% of their mobile market in the last 5 years, and they will be selling less than 10 million units a year in the next fisical year. These are numbers that could easily be exceeded with a new PlayStation Phone and Handheld built around the PS4 hardware and OS. This would lead to masssive profit per device compaired to Xperia, and is honestly the only way they ever stand a chance at being a player in the home and mobile market in the next decade.

O.P. Nope. No way the Vita can do it now. The hardware is to old, and the difference between it and other devices on the market are to great for simple ports. The only hope they have is to piggy back off the PS4 hardware and OS, making it so all app, games, and services run identical on the PS4 and new PS Phone/Handheld. Does Sony need to make a new Mobile/Handheld PlayStation? Absolutly. It is the only way that PlayStation can stay competitive against the numerous competitiors that are offering a full range of products, in all markets. PlayStation can not survive on a narrow scope home device. It has to expand to the Portable, and Mobile computing fields if it wants to survive long term.

They would have to make a Vita 2.0..... as powerfull as the Switch... backwards compat with PS Vita games.

It would need;
designed to be high perf/$ (remove stuff not needed in it, eg touch pads on back, stuff like that)
normal cheap memory storage option (for digitial only users).

Im more for Sony makeing a Smart Phone, they call a Playstation Phone 1.

It comes with a attachable controller, you slide  the phone into. Every single unit sold will be with a controller for the phone.

Its own OS, runs all Vita/PSP/PS2 games.

Features might not be a huge thing, app's wise, but it ll have games, and do most of the basic things people use a phone for.

Yeah, of course. Sony doesn't know how, though.

It could, but I don't think Sony is interested. If the Swich becomes a huge success, they will probably try something like a PS4P, to keep Nintendo from monopolyzing the handheld market. But agtain, it can only happen if the Swich becomes really successful. If it's just moderately successful, Sony won't care, they will focus on other things.