According to recent rumors, and the curated confirmation of insider Tom Henderson, it seems that Sony is developing a new portable. However, this might not be the glorious return that all fans have been waiting for. Sony made a glorious start with the PSP but failed miserably with PS Vita and ended up abandoning the console. The handheld consoles are trending again thanks to the continuous success of the Nintendo Switch and also the launch of the Steam Deck. There are many brands launching handheld gaming devices made for cloud gaming, while others are preparing portable PCs like the Steam Deck. Seeing the potential of this market, Sony is coming soon with the PlayStation Q Lite (codename), but again it’s not the glorious return that you have been waiting for.
PlayStation Remote Play – device concept arts are here
As per the new reports, the device with the codename Q Lite is not exactly a portable console. The rumors say it will be developed as a “portable extension” of the PS5. Since the days of the PS3, Sony tried to push its Remote Play. It was previously exclusive to Sony devices and the PS Vita, but a few years ago, the company decided to open it to more devices. Now, Sony seems to be preparing new hardware made exclusively to run Remote Play. It sounds a little pointless, after all, you can do the same with a regular smartphone running the Remote Play App. It has extra features, of course, but still, you can do the same with a smartphone paired with the DualSense controller.
While the device does not come, and we don’t get a confirmation about its features, the fans are dreaming of this return to the handheld category. In light of these rumors, a series of concept art has started to pop out on the web. Fans are imagining the design of this new product, and of course, making something that falls in line with the PS5 design. The first concept art below imagines the product as “PS5 Go”. It actually makes sense, since this is just a way to play the PS5 On-the-Go.
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Worth noting that despite making the concept, not all fans are excited about this product. After all, if it ends up being a device exclusively made for PS5 Remote Play, it will be very limited. This is not what most fans have been expecting from a new PlayStation Handheld.
The handheld has some limitations
According to the rumors, the new PlayStation portable will basically come as a “Dual Sense” controller that has a huge 8-inch screen. It will have the same adaptive triggers and immersive haptic feedback. There will also be a separate 3.5mm audio jack. Unlike Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, it will support 1080p resolution. We don’t know if the screen will support touch input. The details are still scarce, and we still need to digest this with a pinch of salt. After all, Sony did not make any official statement regarding this portable console.
I don’t want to sound bad, but it’s hard to ignore how pointless this product sounds. It will work like a second screen for the PS5, which will require a constant internet connection to work. This will probably be Wi-Fi internet, as we don’t think it will have mobile connectivity. In fact, the device seems to have some disadvantages when we compare it with playing on a smartphone with Remote Play. Most Android and iOS devices support Dual Sense. So you can easily play the PS5 on your smartphone’s screen while you’re in other places. The Q Lite has some fancy features, but it seems to lack “spice” right now.
For now, we can only wait to see whether Sony will confirm this or if this is just another product that will never leave the company’s labs.
