Sony formally announced the launch of its new PlayStation handheld device and a new rumor is that the 8-inch device will ship in November.
The assertion is made by Tom Henderson, the same journalist who first described Sony’s Project Q portable last month. Henderson posted a tweet this morning stating that the film is “currently scheduled to release mid-late November 2023.” Sony has simply stated that the PlayStation handheld will go on sale “later this year” without providing pricing or a specific release date. Currently only known as Project Q, Sony’s PlayStation portable will let PS5 owners stream games on an 8-inch LCD screen with controllers on either side that are remarkably similar to the DualSense PS5 controller.
Since games won’t run natively on the device, you’ll need to install them on a PS5 and have strong Wi-Fi connectivity to stream them. Sony hasn’t said if you’ll be able to use its PlayStation portable outside of your home, but you’ll likely be able to utilize Sony’s Remote Play technology to access your PS5 games while you’re out and about. Sony is reacting to the current uptick in handheld gaming. Modern handheld consoles have been dominated by Nintendo’s Switch, and Valve’s Steam Deck has demonstrated the potential of portable PC gaming. It will depend on consumer willingness to pay for a gadget that can only stream PS5 games whether or not the PlayStation Portable is a success.
There are doubts about the intended use of this gadget because PS5 games can already be streamed to PCs, Macs, iOS, and Android smartphones. The adjustable triggers are a great addition, but it seems like you could get the rest with a lot of the current mobile devices and controller options. Given recent job posts that indicate a new push towards cloud gaming and PlayStation head Jim Ryan’s earlier this week teasing of “quite aggressive plans” for cloud gaming, Sony may decide to expand this PlayStation handheld to include online streaming. The decision of PS5 customers to purchase a PlayStation handheld that requires an internet connection to play games is still up in the air, even with cloud streaming alternatives.
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Sony’s success may depend on whether it is prepared to stream PlayStation games via the cloud and the cost of this PlayStation handheld. Logitech has attempted something similar at a high price point. We’ll watch how the market reacts because some people (such as managing editor of Verge Alex Cranz) contend that phones are unsuitable for cloud gaming and prefer to use dedicated hardware. In the upcoming months, Sony promises, we’ll learn more about Project Q.
