Rumors are swirling around the web regarding a new portable PlayStation console. Two journalists accustomed to rumors have brought their point of view on the subject.
The news in brief:
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- two journalists believe that Sony is preparing a new portable console dedicated to game streaming
- the console might use the remote play function of the PS5
- since the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck, the format has regained interest.
Ever since the failure of the PS Vita in the early 2010s, PlayStation fans have been eagerly awaiting the day when Sony will give handheld consoles a chance once morest Nintendo. The success of the Nintendo Switch and the arrival of cloud gaming showed that there might be room for a PlayStation Phone. More recently, new players like Valve with the Steam Deck and Asus are trying the experiment.
The wait might be over if the latest industry rumors come to fruition. Sony would be working on a new portable format, but maybe not a console capable of running games natively.
A portable console dedicated to cloud gaming?
The latest echoes around a Sony portable console first come from Tom Handerson. This former journalist is now a regular at leaks. It usually focuses on competitive FPS like Call of Duty or Battlefield, but for several months, he has been multiplying rumors around PlayStation. It is in particular he who promises the arrival of a PlayStation 5 with external Blu-ray player.
For those asking, the new Sony hardware I alluded to in yesterday’s stream hasn’t been reported on yet.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) April 2, 2023
This time, he was more vague, only announcing that Sony was working on a new type of hardware ” which has not been the subject of rumors or announcements so far “. This effectively rules out revisions to the PS5 as well as any future console wireless headphones. Fans then had the idea of a new PlayStation portable console.
He later published a more complete article on the subject. According to Tom Handerson, Sony is preparing a portable console under the code name ” Q Lite “. It would be a PlayStation 5 accessory that would use the remote play function. This is reminiscent of Nintendo’s proposal with the GamePad of the Wii U. Indeed, according to the article, this console would not be able to access streaming cloud gaming.
The console would take the form of a DualSense where we would have inserted a large 8-inch screen, like a Steam Deck. The remote play function would be done in 1080p and at 60 frames per second.
Another story
Enter Jeff Grubb, a journalist accustomed to rumors and gossip.
I am traveling to Super Nintendo World, but I see the reports regarding a potential Vita 2, and I would definitely scope down those expectations. I’ve only ever heard regarding a cloud-streaming handheld.
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) April 4, 2023
According to the journalist, he heard noises from the corridors talking regarding a portable console dedicated to cloud gaming. This is a rather recent idea on the market and born from the emergence of cloud gaming services. Logitech has tried it with Tencent and Razer has also launched a similar format. In other words, a console offering a physical controller, a screen and an internet connection for game streaming, but without the computing power necessary to run them natively offline on the device.
To push its PlayStation Plus Premium, which provides access to a catalog of streaming PlayStation 4 games, Sony might therefore develop a new device in its ecosystem alongside the PS5 and PS VR2. We imagine that such a device would also be able to play “Remote Play” from a local console.
Can we believe it?
For the moment, we have only a few noises of corridors to put in the tooth coming from two sources certainly concordant, but which might be mistaken in the past on this kind of rumors. Moreover, assuming that a project is well underway at Sony, the manufacturer might abandon it at any time before its announcement.
Still, the manufacturer has found new interest in its services for a year and wants to push the levels of PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscriptions. A portable console dedicated to cloud gaming would be a great way to offer it.
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