Yeah, but I would've prefered Vita hardware power + Nintendo games lol.

Indeed. Execution and support is essential for any game to succeed. Had the Vita utilized backwards  ompatibility from the start; along with a good launch price and some games, the other side of the coin would have been seen. Much of the PS2's early success stemed fron backwards compatibility, improved hardware, and a much greater focus on games (launch games and price were not well received obviously). Even more so jarring however is that Sony had already seen the success of adding said feature while remaining consistent on their products focus; minus the PS3 of course. Even so, adding in the PS3 makes the Vita's predicament even more strange, as Sony should have learned their mistakes from that platform. 

All in all, the Vita reminds me a lot of the GameCube; stellar IP, but missed opportunities. Hopefully, this isnt the last from the "Sony Handheld", bit I have reason to believe it does, mainly thanks it part towards the rise of mobile gaming and how that has caught on with gamers; most notably casuals.

Nintendo games with the crisp look of Vita games would be pretty slick. Though with Ninten, that won`t happen for a long time, haha...

The only reason the Vita failed, is becasue it is not a Phone. Had Sony released the Vita as a Phone on all of the major mobile networks, it would have sold like crazy. People can not justify carrying a Vita and a Phone everywhere they go. So what eneds up happening? High end smartphone, and games that are good enough to waste some time.

All of the other issue would have been fixed with this one simple thing. The Vita Phone could have come with 32GB of internal storage, and been free on every carrier, and Sony still would have profited on it.

With a Vita Phone sales would be well over 50M if not nearing 100M at this point. With that kind of user base, we would be seeing every yearly franchise, and many exclusives to the device. All of the Smartphone apps on iOS and Android would be comming over. Even the memory cards would be better off, because the high production rates would have seen prices plumit. Basically, by just offering it as a Phone, Sony could have seen the true potential of the hardware.

The thing is, I still don't think they are to far off to give it a go. Releasing a PlayStation Phone right now on every mobile carrier, they could outsell the Vita in the first quarter of release. The thing with the Vita is just keeping a locked spec for the Games. They could easily have a 4G PlayStation Phone with 3 or 4GB of RAM, a 1080p screen, 64GB internal storage, and the battery life of the Z3 series Xperia phones. This would allow you to run a Vita game, and have Phone, Facebook, Twitter, Web Browseing, Video Streaming and more multitasking. They have PlayStation Mobile where garage devs can build any app they want. This would light a spark that could see the Vita blast right by the 3DS/New 3DS family in a matter of months.

They can continue to upgrade the non gaming features with yearly revisions, all while keeping it as a Vita based Phone. Then once they have the tech to make a generational leap, they can release a full on PSPhone 2. Thus giving devs a new set spec to build better, and stable games for another 5 to 7 years.

The oppertunity to hold a major share of the mobile market is staring them right in the face. They have the network, they have the tech, all they have to do is deliver. It is the simpilist puzzle in the freaking world, but will they ever put it together? I really don't know.

Publishing console games on it, that's where it went wrong. The machine was like a "mini-PS3" and everyone that I knew at the time were like "hey, I'd rather have a PS3". 

It went wrong by delivering a watered down console experience, overcharging for memory cards, and lacking killer app software.

If it was like a phone device, would it still be in direct competition to Nintendo`s handhelds anymore? It sounds like with what you propose, it would shift competition to smartphones, which is another audience. It sounds like it would be a phone, but can play sony games too. Would that help it thrive in the smartphone market? I think it would have to distinguish itself well at a good price to do so.

1) They tried that already and failed.... miserably

2) Those components would cost a lot

3) Sony's Xperia phones aren't making any profit and aren't popular by any means (look at the iPhone, Galaxies)

4) They brought remote olay to the Xperia line up (Z3/Z3 Compact). It's still quite cumbersome because you still need a DS4 Controller

5) Phones are crazy expensive, especially where carriers don't subsidize them

6) Who's going to advertise the thing?

7) Bettery life will suck, and it'll be crazy thick. People don't like thick phones.

8) Just to throw another wrench into this idea, Sony is looking to sell their smartphone business, just like they did with their laptops (Vaio). Sony just doesn't have the money to take these crazy risks anymore and will try to sell anything that isn't making money.

Hell yeah, it would absolutly be in direct competition with the Nintendo product. Whether people want to admit it or not, PS Vita and 3DS are in competition with mobile phones and tablets. These are all mobile devices that can play games, browse the web, view social apps, hook the user up to a digital entertaiment ecosystem and more.

The way it should be sold is as a PlayStation Phone, the ultimate gamers phone. The current Vita is the perfect form factor. The driving force behind it would be the ability to play full featured handheld and console games on the go, without the need for additional accessories. With access to PS Now and Remote Play over 4G, a user could jump in and play home consoles games any time anywhere to go along with the massive cataloge of local PS Vita titles, and Legacy PSP and PSOne titles.

I love the vita. Honestly the best handheld ever made hardware wise.

Their mistakes were the confusing and fairly useless 3g, the price and the outrageous hidden costs of memory cards.