The PlayStation Vita, Sony's underappreciated handheld console, has now officially ceased production.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The eight-year-old console was the successor to the popular PlayStation Portable (PSP), but only sold around an estimated 16 million units during its lifespan, compared to the PSP’s 76 million over nine years.

The blame for the device’s poor performance can be laid at the rise of mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets, which took off around the same time as the Vita’s release.

It’s a shame, as the Vita had some interesting features, including an OLED touchscreen and a rear touch pad, which later found its way onto the front of the DualShock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4. It was also able to control and display PS4 games via its Remote Play function, similar to what we saw on Nintendo’s Wii U, which was released a year later.

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Games are still being produced for the Vita, but according to The Verge and Polygon, that too will come to an end on Mar. 31. The Vita’s library featured a few notable titles, such as Wipeout 2048, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Tearaway and Gravity Rush. Fortunately for players without Vitas, many of these games later were ported to the main PlayStation consoles.

Sony has said it isn’t planning on creating a successor to the Vita. Considering the Nintendo Switch occupies a similar space as a high-fidelity portable gaming experience, and has already sold more than the Vita did in just two years, it’s not surprising they’re reluctant to try and recapture this part of the market.

If you are interested in purchasing one of the last Vitas to be produced and getting in on some of the unique experiences of the platform, have a look at the reasons why it’s still worth buying this expiring console.