Rumor: Sony developing PlayStation handheld

[VictoryAtNight]

Sony is reportedly working on a brand new portable console to build on the idea of its PlayStation Portal and compete with Nintendo in the handheld space, according to a report from Bloomberg.

It's claimed that the console is in the early stages of development, and is most likely still years away from being released, if it even happens at all – Bloomberg mentions that the company could decide not to launch it. However, as it stands, the goal is apparently to be able to play PS5 games on the go, and considering Bloomberg's sources claim that the original plan for the PS Portal was for it to act more like a Steam Deck and be a standalone device, it sounds like it could be a lot more like a 'traditional' handheld console.

https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/...ntendo-switch/

[Modren]

I'm skeptical Sony would be able to fit something equivalent to the PS5 in a handheld form factor, especially considering how massive the PS5 itself is. And by the time this comes out we could be well into the PS6 generation (though with how long cross-gen lasted this time, maybe a portable PS5 still be viable for new games).

[RevolverOcelScott]

I owned a PSP and a Vita, and while this might be cool, Steamdeck/Rog Ally and the lot all make it pretty much useless unless you own a ton of digital playstation games.

Sony screwed up hard with the PSPGo, promising to make it possible to get your physical PSP games onto the digital only Go, only to backtrack. Then the Vita, which was a good follow up, had insanely priced proprietary memory cards that you were forced to buy, with not a lot of software to back it up.

[Steelmaker]

If it's a dedicated handheld that will require it's own library of games, then I am absolutely against it! Right now Sony is having a hard enough time getting PS5 games out the door. The last thing I want is another platform they have to support that would dilute development resources even further.

[Diesel]

Ah, just what Sony has been missing this generation: more hardware.

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Right now Sony is having a hard enough time getting PS5 games out the door. The last thing I want is another platform they have to support that would dilute development resources even further.

I'm on the fence with selling my PS5. I've owned every single Sony console and handheld, and the PS5 for me (Having a high end gaming PC) is useless. Nothing is exclusive anymore, so aside from good loading times on PS4 games and better UI, I have no use for it. The last time I turned it on was when FF16 came out.

Going PC (games on PC) was one of the biggest mistakes Sony has made for it's fanbase in my opinion. Anyone with a decent PC has no reason to own a PS5.

[CWCprime]

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

I'm on the fence with selling my PS5. I've owned every single Sony console and handheld, and the PS5 for me (Having a high end gaming PC) is useless. Nothing is exclusive anymore, so aside from good loading times on PS4 games and better UI, I have no use for it. The last time I turned it on was when FF16 came out.

Going PC (games on PC) was one of the biggest mistakes Sony has made for it's fanbase in my opinion. Anyone with a decent PC has no reason to own a PS5.

The idea of gaming consoles as we have long known them is likely going to be a thing of the past. PlayStation games going to PC, Xbox games going to PlayStation. Xbox has clearly been pivoting away from the traditional console model with their continuing push of Game Pass. The writing's been on the wall for a while now, for both PlayStation and Xbox.

I still think there will be PlayStation and Xbox consoles in the future, but they will function more like "reference" machines for those specific publishers. Not everyone will be willing to invest in a gaming PC, so those demographics will still have to be catered to.

I think there are also rumors that Steam may appear as an additional storefront on Xbox. Valve themselves have also been encroaching on the user-friendly console space with things like Big Picture and Steam Deck. The lines are being blurred from both sides.

It is an interesting time for gaming.

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by CWCprime

I still think there will be PlayStation and Xbox consoles in the future, but they will function more like "reference" machines for those specific publishers. Not everyone will be willing to invest in a gaming PC, so those demographics will still have to be catered to.

[...]

It is an interesting time for gaming.

I agree. There are some folks who do not want to build/buy an expensive gaming PC and just want the "unbox and go" experience of a console, so they will exist for some time. It's just sad to see the end of an era as I've come to know and love. I guess the "next gen" will be PC/SteamDeck/Switch 2

[heyadol]

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

[Show spoiler]I owned a PSP and a Vita, and while this might be cool, Steamdeck/Rog Ally and the lot all make it pretty much useless unless you own a ton of digital playstation games.

Sony screwed up hard with the PSPGo, promising to make it possible to get your physical PSP games onto the digital only Go, only to backtrack.

[Show spoiler] Then the Vita, which was a good follow up, had insanely priced proprietary memory cards that you were forced to buy, with not a lot of software to back it up.

They had this service in Japan, but it did not support enough games. I was only able to use the physical to digital discount on a handful of games.

Originally Posted by Modren

I'm skeptical Sony would be able to fit something equivalent to the PS5 in a handheld form factor, especially considering how massive the PS5 itself is. And by the time this comes out we could be well into the PS6 generation (though with how long cross-gen lasted this time, maybe a portable PS5 still be viable for new games).

My expectation is Sony will have a "portable" mode where games target a lower internal resolution (720p) and use PSSR to upscale to whatever resolution they use for the portable (1080p?). I would not count on a 4K experience and I don't think it will have a "docked" mode or any means to connect to an external display.

[Batman90]

I don’t see a point in Xbox or PlayStation coming out with handhelds if they are not going to support their own games. Nintendo always did it right where their handhelds had their own games compared to their home consoles.

[Talal86]

Don't we get this 'report' about a new playstation portable at least once a year?

anyway, we have the tech to easily make a ps4/ps4 pro portable nowadays, but it would probably cost 500-600$, so not sure if it would make sense to release a premium priced system that would support last gen natively and only stream current gen games

unless devs are willing to make specific patches for ps5 games to run on a handheld (720p/30fps)

[heyadol]

Originally Posted by Batman90

I don’t see a point in Xbox or PlayStation coming out with handhelds if they are not going to support their own games. Nintendo always did it right where their handhelds had their own games compared to their home consoles.

Call me crazy, but I think the point is Sony finding another way to make money off of their ecosystem.

[CWCprime]

Originally Posted by Batman90

I don’t see a point in Xbox or PlayStation coming out with handhelds if they are not going to support their own games. Nintendo always did it right where their handhelds had their own games compared to their home consoles.

With technology having caught up and the gap between handheld and home consoles closing, it makes zero sense to support two separate libraries of games. It's just too taxing on resources. That's why the Vita failed. Nintendo realized this and that's why the Switch is the way it is.

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by CWCprime

With technology having caught up and the gap between handheld and home consoles closing, it makes zero sense to support two separate libraries of games. It's just too taxing on resources. That's why the Vita failed. Nintendo realized this and that's why the Switch is the way it is.

The 3DS was a huge success for Nintendo it was successful all the way till they quit production on it.

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by heyadol

Call me crazy, but I think the point is Sony finding another way to make money off of their ecosystem.

They have the Portal they don’t need another hand held accessory for the PlayStation. It’s pointless when you can only play it when it’s connected to the PS5.

[heyadol]

Originally Posted by Batman90

They have the Portal they don’t need another hand held accessory for the PlayStation. It’s pointless when you can only play it when it’s connected to the PS5.

Well yeah PS Portal is extremely limited, but the quote in the first post calls this rumored new handheld "a standalone device."

[CWCprime]

Originally Posted by Batman90

The 3DS was a huge success for Nintendo it was successful all the way till they quit production on it.

Conversely, the Wii U was their worst selling home console.

And like I said, there was still enough of a power differential between the two systems that not too many resources had to be diverted from one side of development to the other. But if most of your success is coming from one basket (the 3DS), why continue to invest into the other less successful basket (the Wii U), when you can now easily consolidate the two and cater to both markets? The exact opposite happened with Sony (PS3/PS4 was more successful than the Vita).

Originally Posted by Batman90

They have the Portal they don’t need another hand held accessory for the PlayStation. It’s pointless when you can only play it when it’s connected to the PS5.

The PlayStation Portal can now stream from the cloud. PS5 no longer required.

[Modren]

Originally Posted by heyadol

My expectation is Sony will have a "portable" mode where games target a lower internal resolution (720p) and use PSSR to upscale to whatever resolution they use for the portable (1080p?). I would not count on a 4K experience and I don't think it will have a "docked" mode or any means to connect to an external display.

How would they make that work on a system-wide level, though? You generally can't change a game's internal resolution without altering its code, and I doubt just lowering to 720p would be enough to get most games working. The only way to ensure 100% compatibility is to literally put a PS5 processor inside a portable shell, and that's probably not feasible without A. making it too bulky to comfortably hold, B. giving incredibly poor battery life (remember, a PS5 draws at least 200 watts on average), and C. marking up the price to something well outside what anyone would pay.

[heyadol]

Originally Posted by Modren

How would they make that work on a system-wide level, though? You generally can't change a game's internal resolution without altering its code, and I doubt just lowering to 720p would be enough to get most games working. The only way to ensure 100% compatibility is to literally put a PS5 processor inside a portable shell, and that's probably not feasible without A. making it too bulky to comfortably hold, B. giving incredibly poor battery life (remember, a PS5 draws at least 200 watts on average), and C. marking up the price to something well outside what anyone would pay.

It will be interesting to see how they solve those engineering challenges.

[JoeJr81]

Originally Posted by CWCprime

The idea of gaming consoles as we have long known them is likely going to be a thing of the past. PlayStation games going to PC, Xbox games going to PlayStation. Xbox has clearly been pivoting away from the traditional console model with their continuing push of Game Pass. The writing's been on the wall for a while now, for both PlayStation and Xbox.

I still think there will be PlayStation and Xbox consoles in the future, but they will function more like "reference" machines for those specific publishers. Not everyone will be willing to invest in a gaming PC, so those demographics will still have to be catered to.

I think there are also rumors that Steam may appear as an additional storefront on Xbox. Valve themselves have also been encroaching on the user-friendly console space with things like Big Picture and Steam Deck. The lines are being blurred from both sides.

It is an interesting time for gaming.

What would the purpose of a Steam store be on Xbox when there is already an Xbox store front?