A Sony PS Vita hand-held games console, photographed during a studio shoot for PSM3 Magazine, ... [+]
Two days ago I wondered out loud if it was wise for Sony to keep investing loads of time and resources into the relatively niche VR space, instead of returning to the PSP/Vita era for another handheld, given the success of the Switch and Steam Deck.
Well, be careful what you wish for, I suppose.
A new report from high profile leaker Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming says that Sony is doing just that. He’s the only one reporting this for now, so as ever, take what’s being said with caution, but here’s what he’s laying out:
- Sony is indeed working on a new handheld codenamed the Q-Lite.
- It looks like a PS5 controller but with an 8-inch LCD touchscreen in the middle
- It will include adaptive triggers for haptic feedback like the DualSense.
- It supports adaptive streaming up to 1080p and 60 FPS, requiring constant internet access for Remote Play. It is not streaming games from the cloud, it’s streaming them from your existing PS5.
- The Q-Lite may be released before the PS5 Pro, which according to this report, is aiming for a holiday 2024 release (which would be roughly on schedule with the PS4 Pro’s timing).
That’s where the report ends. It’s possible that if this does exist, it could debut during Sony’s big non-E3 summer showcase this year. Or perhaps could be something saved for the Game Awards if it’s not going to arrive this coming holiday. Reportedly the device is in QA right now.
Remote Play
One thing not listed in the report is a price. Of course, the benefit of the Nintendo Switch is that it functions both as a home console and a portable handheld for just a few hundred dollars. This is not that, and far from a standalone, handheld PS5. But rather it will use your existing PS5 to play games, more of an accessory to the main system. Will that have the same level of draw? And how much will people pay for that?
If this does come to pass, at the very least it seems pretty responsive to market conditions and may be here sooner than we think. I’m not sure if this is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about when I said Sony should get back into handhelds, as I wasn’t thinking of a PS5-linked Remote Play device necessarily, but I mean, it’s something. And it may turn out to be a promising idea, we’ll have to see.
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