Is Skyrim Possible for the PS Vita?

Skyrim released on Nov. 11 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Since its initial release, three different DLCs have become available for the game (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn). All three are readily available for the Xbox 360 with a limited exclusivity to that system, while two are currently available for the PC and none of the DLC is available for the PS3 (nor is there any real concrete answer as to when it will become available). The lack of DLC is not surprising for the PS3 version because that version has had massive problems since its release with Bethesda basically admitting that they released a broken product at launch. Numerous patches have come out since the game’s release over a year ago that has ameliorated some of the problems with the crashes on the PS3, but there still remains issues as evidenced by the lack of DLC for the game on that system. It is obvious that Bethesda, like other third-party developers, has issues when porting games to Sony’s systems because of the Cell Processing. However, Sony’s PlayStation Vita has hardware that should not present as many problems to developers as the PS3 does.

The question of Bethesda’s popular and seminal open-world fantasy RPG Skyrim ever being reproduced on the PS Vita is not too difficult to answer. It will never happen for a number of reasons. The sheer size of the game and detail, despite the PS Vita’s power, cannot be reproduced faithfully on a handheld. Some things will have to be removed or the Vita version would be streamlined, which is not terrible, but certainly people would find a scaled-down Skyrim less appealing. In addition, Bethesda’s proprietary engine will likely not make a smooth transition over to the Vita. More importantly though, if Bethesda themselves, or another contracted developer, tried to port the game to another Sony system it would likely not sell because the company’s responses/treatment of the PS3 Skyrim has poisoned gamers who purchased the game for the system. That said though, a game like Skyrim with an impressive open-world feel and fantasy virtuosity with dragons and spells could be possible for the PS Vita. Just not done by Bethesda and that is perfectly fine (They could do one, if they wanted, because if they can release a buggy version of Skyrim for PS3, so why not the Vita? Why limit Bethesda’s sloppiness?).

Despite simply being a handheld system, the PS Vita is powerful and as stated upon its release, it is the most powerful handheld currently (and ever really, at this point). Since its release, the PS Vita has shown the potential and power of the system through the release of games like Gravity Rush and Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation. These two games are beautiful to look at, as well as, show that the Vita can handle larger, expansive worlds that give the player a sense of exploration and scope. Now the open-world that players traverse in Skyrim is not exactly reproducible on the PS Vita, but something close to it is. By smartly using pre-rendered cut scenes to mask loading screens, a developer could create a massive fantasy (or cyberpunk because that would be a million times more interesting) world for Vita users to explore. There is a potential in the PS Vita that developers just need to utilize and tap into to trick out the fledgling system. Will gamers be able to Fus Ro Dah on the go? Possibly. Would gamers want to fight dragons while riding the train? Absolutely.