Disclaimer : The following article was written freely based on the author's opinion, and it may not necessarily represent Inven Global's editorial stance. 

If you’re a PlayStation Plus member, this past Tuesday was “free game day.” Sony’s subscription service delivers six free games to its members each month, often with cross-save and cross-play support across the PlayStation family of systems, and the program was truly ahead of its time when it launched in 2010. Well before Microsoft decided to introduce its Xbox Games With Gold program and Nintendo announced free classic games for the Switch, PlayStation Plus was giving away a variety of games for just a few dollars per month. Some were recent, some were older, some were independent, and some were from big-name publishers, but the program always felt like it was worth the money. In June 2013, subscribers got unlimited access to Uncharted 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, LittleBigPlanet Karting, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Weeks later, Saints Row: The Third and Battlefield 3 were added to the list.

As the program expanded to include Sony’s latest handheld, the PlayStation Vita, we saw the quality level stay relatively similar. Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush – just months old – were given away for free in late 2012. They remained available for free for nearly two years, so those who purchased a Vita later on would still have a chance to snag them.

But times have changed. Though games are still being released for the PlayStation Vita by independent studios and other Japanese companies, Sony has abandoned the device in favor of the much more successful PlayStation 4. Never achieving the same success as its home console siblings or Nintendo’s 3DS, it couldn’t sustain the level of exclusive support on its predecessor, the PSP, but Sony tried. Uncharted delivered a solid third-person adventure in the palm of your hand, and Killzone: Mercenary managed to turn Guerilla’s franchise into a fast-paced, bite-sized shooter with a surprisingly competent multiplayer mode. Early on, third-party support was even impressive. Ubisoft’s Rayman Origins was right at home on the smaller screen. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was a worthy competitor to Mario Kart. Vanillaware’s Dragon’s Crown may have been the best game on the system, and a later update allowed players to join up with PlayStation 3 users.

Over the last few years, however, we’ve seen the value of PlayStation Plus’ Vita offerings drop substantially. Games that originally released as PSP titles such as God of War: Chains of Olympus and Prince of Persia: Revelations have substituted for true Vita games. Others can be purchased full-price with little more than the change you can find in your couch. Just this month, Downwell and Level 22 were made available for Vita players. The total cost of these two games is $12. In July, the free Vita games could be purchased without a PlayStation Plus subscription for $13.

The PlayStation 3 isn’t doing much better in terms of its PlayStation Plus library, but the console was released in 2006. A huge number of AAA games have already been given away for free, and much like the Xbox 360’s free Games With Gold lineup, there are occasionally still big-name titles that make their way into the program. Someone who has been a member since the beginning will barely ever need to actually purchase a PlayStation 3 game.

It’s clear the Sony values the PlayStation 4 over its other two “active” consoles – after all, it’s really the only one still receiving first-party support. When comparing each month’s PlayStation 4 lineup to the Xbox One, Sony regularly comes out on top. Just Cause 3, Until Dawn, Life is Strange, and Tearaway Unfolded have all been offered for free in just the last few months. But the Xbox One’s backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games gives Microsoft an important advantage. Unlike with PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold members only need one console to play each month’s free games. Older titles like Bayonetta and Assassin’s Creed III certainly don’t look as nice as something released for a current-generation console, but they don’t require subscribers to go dig out their old systems just to play them. If the average player is anything like me, they’ve had their Xbox 360 sitting in storage for years at this point.

Unfortunately, there really isn’t a perfect solution for PlayStation Plus’ Vita problem. There are still a handful of great games for the system that could be released for free – Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir and Child of Light are among the most notable omissions – but there’s an alternative solution that seems to make much more sense for consumers. By eliminating Vita games, and possibly PlayStation 3 games, and instead offering four free PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR titles each month, Sony can provide more value to subscribers while also enticing potential PlayStation 4 owners to go out and finally purchase the system.

As it stands, a large chunk of the PlayStation 4 user-base is made up of former Xbox players. Many of these people, myself included, didn’t own a PlayStation 3. Fewer own the Vita. Sure, there will be a small group of Vita devotees who are angry that their system of choice will no longer receive free games, but really: What other free games are left to offer? Do you really want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified when you could be playing newer and better PlayStation 4 games?

I love the PlayStation Vita. I purchased it on launch day and it became my system of choice for many indie games that had made their way from Steam. Remote Play even gave me the freedom to try out The Last of Us and Destiny while I was away from my PlayStation 4. But the system has, sadly, outlived its usefulness, with the Nintendo Switch serving as a capable indie machine and developers throwing all their time and energy into more popular platforms. Because of this, Sony’s continued support for the Vita on PlayStation Plus does more harm than good, limiting the new games available to PlayStation 4 owners while simultaneously disappointing Vita owners with outdated and inexpensive titles. It’ll be tough to say goodbye, but the best course of action is to just rip the bandage off.