Following the PlayStation Vita's relatively poor commercial performance, it's never really seemed likely that Sony would return to the handheld space. In a world where smartphones are already everywhere and development budgets and timescales are ballooning, a dedicated handheld console seems like the last thing Sony would focus on. However, known hardware leaker Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID) says otherwise.
A recent video from the YouTuber includes a segment on a new PlayStation handheld, nicknamed the 'Vita 2'. Unlike the Remote Play-only PS Portal, this supposed new device would be a dedicated portable console that can play games natively. The report states the machine is in a "high level design phase", meaning it's in a very early state — apparently "at least two years out" and "technically not greenlit for launch yet".
The handheld will reportedly make use of a custom APU from AMD, and in a nutshell, would be capable of running digital PS4 games natively. As for PS5 software, MLID says developers tell him it's "plausible" that games could be updated on a case-by-case basis to support the handheld with "Pro-like patches". This would mean not all PS5 games could run on the 'Vita 2', just the ones developers adjust to support it. By the sound of it, the handheld wouldn't have its own suite of games, it'd essentially just be a portable PS5/PS4. It sort of sounds like a Steam Deck but for PlayStation, in that sense.
An alternative view on the device is that it may be even further away, and planned as a PS6 companion device that's a "weaker (but portable) alternative for the Japanese market".
MLID concludes by saying he can "100% confirm" a new PlayStation handheld is in very early development.
As mentioned earlier, a new handheld console from Sony doesn't really make sense nowadays, so we're inclined to be cautious of this, regardless of how credible MLID is. Stating the console isn't greenlit yet is a classic insider get-out clause that covers the possibility that Sony never does release a new handheld. We'll believe it when we see it.
That said, we'd definitely be excited by another portable PlayStation. What do you think? Could Sony really be working on a handheld PlayStation? Will it release in the next few years? Is it all, in fact, baloney? Discuss in the comments section below.
[source youtube.com, via insider-gaming.com]
Comments 115
I'm already sick of articles mentioning PS6. Can we at least let the PS5 do something truly impressive first?
I said before, if you can make a Vita 2 that has very similar hardware to the home console (PS4) that allows it to either run the game natively, or makes it very easy to port to. I don't see why it couldn't be possible.
Something similar to how the steam deck runs pc games.
If this is anything more than a rumour then it has to be the next iteration of Portal:
Given how well Portal is working for me, I'd definitely be interested in something like this. I'd be more surprised if they were not working on a Portal follow up tbh.
I would suspect the success of the Steam Deck and early success of the PS Portal make this a plausible rumor. Sony likely has many projects in development that never see the light of day, but whatever little team that has been working on a Vita 2 is now suddenly getting some added funding.
Man, I hope this turns out to be true.
If it's two years away, I expect it at least have the bones to run PS4 games at pc level of details.
Apple can run re4 and death stranding. Yes , it runs them with lower than PS4 graphical fidelity, and death stranding can barely hit 20 FPS, but I see no problem why a hardware of the future couldn't do it.
@__jamiie This! How many truly PS5 exclusives are there? Many games are cross gen.. the only game that’s really exclusive is demon’s souls (love that game, hopefully bluepoint remasters Bloodborne)
OT: I would buy it but I also got burned by Sony with the Vita (and PSVR2… although I bought the light brigade and it’s brilliant.. it’s becoming my GT7 and light brigade machine).
@Sanquine What about Spider-Man 2? Final Fantasy 16?
(I agree though that this isn't much after 3 years)
I would rather Sony focus their in house developers on some big AAA campaign games for PS5.
2023 was not exactly vintage and 2024 from in house seems to be zero on the big AAA campaign games.
Now this is a handheld I can get behind! Though it sounds like if it would happen it would be very far away so I won't get too excited yet but I would absolutely support this is it happened!
Make it dockable like the switch, PS4 pro specs or higher in dock mode. Standard PS4 spec in portable mode.
Profit
@mariomaster96 Totally forgot about FF16 (but that’s third party) and I expect Spider-Man 2 to be ported to pc in the near future. Still need to buy Spider-Man 2 but MM for me was a major disappointment (did not like miles and his companion compared to Peter)
No chance, the rumours have it playing PS5 games despite being nowhere near its specs. Developers aren't going back to rework their games to run on such a device and PS4 games will still be limited by the PS4 code
I'd be happy with a playstation steam deck, running ps4 games natively and most PS5 games that it can run. For the higher graphical games they could use Sony's new streaming app, so we can stream the games we own and those on Extra/Premium.
I have a steam deck OLED and it's amazing. And as portable as it should be, I don't want a pocket size Vita again, I also don't play games of any A standard on my phone for the same reasons. Portal is a good size for portable and Nintendo have done most of the hard work proving it, bloody thing won't stop selling and my wife loves her OLED version. So smaller than a laptop and bigger than a phone. Yep I'd buy one.
@Shepherd_Tallon lack of something simple like Bluetooth doesn't bother you at all ?
If it comes.it is what it is.word up son
@OldGamer999 I don’t think 2025 will be much better also. I’m not expecting anything besides ghosts of Tsushima 2.
Said it before, it'd be cool if Sony and Steam/Valve collaborate on some things to counter Microsoft, Xbox and Gamepass PC trying to eat everything up.
A portable that can play PS Plus catalogue, and buy games from Steam, PS and maybe other stores too. And I'd love to see a PlayStation made PC/Laptop that could do similar things (pipedreams)
Just give Mark Cerny a massive budget and a few labs around the world full of boffins and let him go nuts 😂
Day 1 for me, all the PS4 games on the go, a dream.
@__jamiie
I agree. As someone who came back gaming after a decade of break, and I still play only occasionally, those ps6 articles makes me mad.
I would virtually punch anyone spreading those nonsense without a break. Development is a key element of any kind of business. But can we focus and live in present for a while, please? Always this rushing in life, no fun, full potential etc.
I enjoy my first ever playstation, but I have a little bad taste since most of my games I could play on ps4 too and again, I am not a big gamer.
I guess I am just mad at myself because I think I would enjoy more a ps4 with accessories(and more money in my pocket). And a bit disappointed.
We have successful nintendo switch, handheld pcs, so it does not seem unlikely. But, while i dearly loved my Vita, seeing how easily sony abandons their products (i dont see anything groundbreaking yet on psvr2) i'll think twice before getting sony handheld again
@Shad361
Time will tell, but with Naughty Dog taken out a bit for some reason, with supposedly 2 big teams.
We should have had or getting this year a big AAA from them. How long ago was uncharted 4 released 2017?
I do remember ages ago one Sony executive mentioning moving forward there would less big AAA campaign type games. Due to time scales and cost.
Much preferred the PS4 days and going back further the Xbox360 days.
After the way Sony treated the Vita, they don't deserve a handheld.
@CharlieChooChoo
When we get info and release dates and game play then we can smile.
But things are taking ages nowadays in game development.
Think one of ND studios they have two big ones.
Released uncharted 4 in 2017. 7 years ago.
I would think Sony want to avoid this, but their hand may be forced by a very popular Switch 2, and MS have already moved to a multi tiered spec system with the series S/X so it’s not unthinkable they would be working on a handheld console in the same vein. Can only imagine it would start from next gen though.
First, let it be called PSP (add a number of your choice or not at all!)
I got fed up explaining what a Vita was - it's a Playstation Portable so just 'the PSP' is fine.
This time, give it a 720p screen (minimum), clickable L3 & R3 sticks, L2 and R2 analogue triggers and job's a good 'un.
PS4 compatibility would be great if it's possible and it certainly wouldn't be software starved like the poor, back-stabbed Vita.
@OldGamer999
I wish they would focus on some AA games as well. Games that don't need 5 years of development and a 300 million dollar budget.
I miss the PS2 and PS3 era, when we got multiple games in the same series. PS3 got 3 Uncharted games. It takes way too long to make AAA games now...
@OldGamer999 are you just forgetting they release tlou 2 in 2020 then started working on factions 2 then I got cancelled late last year? Or are you trolling on purpose?
@Steel76
I know but that is the only reason I have a PS5 for Sony studios big AAA campaign games.
My PS5 playtime the first two years was great.
2023 35 hours, mainly HFW burning shores.
Compare that to
Switch 400 hours
Series x 200 hours.
Sony is slowly losing me and 2024 not looking that great for me either as I don’t like FF.
@alexbolton2
Sony told us ND have two big teams
So what are they doing.
They also told us they had a separate team on factions that would not affect the other two teams.
I’m not trolling I have a PS5 waiting for some Sony studio amazing AAA campaign games, thank you.
@Uromastryx tbf if I needed it, it probably would bother me.
But the device has a port for a wired connection so I didn't think much about bluetooth.
It would also be nice if people would be able to download digital games to their device if they already own the physical versions.
Understandably, there is room here for misuse of this feature, but they should work something out if they plan to release this handheld.
@CharlieChooChoo
I’m definitely not saying series x is any better.
It’s not about series x at all.
Yes it is good they have good exclusives from third party. But the games don’t match the brilliance of a Sony studio big AAA.
No proprietary memory cards please
Seems goofy to first make the Portal and then another handheld. But companies have done stranger things.
It seems weird at first, but Sony do some strange things with hardware so I could totally believe this is happening.
The problem for me is less that this is unlikely to materialise, and more that Sony just won’t support it properly when it does. So it’s hard to be excited on that basis.
Really, the Vita is powerful and feature rich enough to still be going now.
I hope so! Would be amazing to play PS4 and PS5 games on the go properly. Would be nice if it could have Vita features too so we could play our Vita games.
A handheld that could play 100% of your existing digital PS4 library out of the box that was about the same dimensions as the Switch OLED would do gangsters
Soooo...it's a Steamdeck?
If they invested in a custom processor for it that enabled it to run PSP, Vita, and PS3 games natively and ran them at 60 fps then I'd be interested. A portable PS4 sounds like a waste of time to me since PS5 is backwards compatible.
I’d preorder and pay in full right now if I could. Haha.
It'd be funny if this is going to "our" Series S.
Given the success of the switch and the portal, it is quite plausible that sony is working on a portable console which is at least ps4 compatible.
Though, I have a hard time to imagine, given how sony designed its firmware in the past, that something with less than the computing power of a ps5, could be ps5 compatible, and I do not see a portable device to reach 10TF anytime soon.
Seems kind of pointless when you have devices like the rog ally and steam deck.
Why limit yourself to a Sony device, when you can play almost anything on an Ally, as they launch their games on steam.
With a 3rd party device you can play Sony games and everything else with emulators. A much better proposition and that is before you even mention sonys appalling track record of supporting devices outside of its core home console (Vita and psvr as 2 recent examples)
The idea of what's essentially a portable PS5 to go along with the PS6 sort of makes sense (although I struggle to see the point exactly), but a completely separate portable system with it's own games sounds ridiculous. Even Nintendo don't support two systems at once anymore
Never have I wanted a rumor to be true🤞 I'm a big fan of Sony's handhelds, to this day I still play my Vita quite often. Let me have access to my entire PS4 library along with being able to play PS2, PS1, PSP and PS Vita (maybe even PS3?) games and it will fly off the shelves!
Sorry to say this as someone who loved the Vita but no, I don't buy this rumor. Wouldn't mind being wrong though.
If the rumors are true, which I doubt, I'll bet Sony supports it for the first 6 months, and then no more first party games...
Be still, my heart… Vita means life!
@Steel76 that's the thing. Sony doesn't need to support this. Not when if it plays ps4 games.
Take inspiration from the Portal and blend it with the dedicated hardware capabilities of a PS4-scale PSP/Vita. Let it play all the existing PS4 library day 1, giving it a huge catalog, then let developers choose to support it with PS5 game patches, dedicated Remote Play capability for any other PS5 software, and then new unique software.
I'd think a decent-sized 1080p 60hz touchscreen, 5+ hour battery minimum, and a full suite of PS5 controller tech like the triggers (this time using Hall effects) and haptics... would be awesome.
Call it the PSP+ (for PlayStation Portable Plus or PlayStation Portal +, take your pick). Move away from Vita. That thing left a bad taste in the market's mouth, unfortunately (I had one, don't look at me lol). But having something that can compete directly with the ever-growing portable PC market and the inevitable Switch 2 makes complete sense.
@Ravix not meaning to start a flame or anything but realistically I don’t think Sony and Valve need to counter Microsoft in anything related to hardware as Xbox, as a physical console, is slowly becoming more scarcely relevant with each generation. Game Pass is probably contributing to selling a few SD as well!
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@Sanquine I’m sure the baseline of gamers is still in a cross-gen phase where many millions have ps5 but many millions also have ps4. Not sure why you would expect games not to be cross gen until the end of the ps5 life.
In this case ps6 is only mentioned due to the speculated ‘vita 2’ being in design phase and at least two years out. At that point ps5 will be about 6 years old.
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If this is true then it is awesome news. I love the PlayStation Vita and will still occasionally boot it up to play some games. I think the Nintendo Switch proved that handheld gaming is still incredibly popular, and even profitable, given the right marketing. And I think with the sales the PlayStation Portal is getting, with me being one, they are seeing the benefits. I haven’t really played a game on my television since getting a Portal a month or so back. As for now, development can take its time. Get it right. Figure out marketing. And push the hardware. We don’t need a “Vita 2”, where it was left out to die.
@__jamiie you need to change your expectations.
1. The transition of gamers ‘the cross-over’ ps4>ps5 is still large. Millions have a ps5 but millions still own only a ps4. It’s should be expected then for developers and producers to make cross-gen.
2. The speculated “vita 2” is two years out minimum it’s still in design phase and possibly not greenlit. By its release ps5 would be 6 years old. To provide some context for you the ps4 had a 7year lifespan so vita 2 being produced with ps6 in mind is very likely, sorry mate.
To summaries don’t expect a new gen console to reach its full potential until the end of its lifespan when most games have transition to the latest gen.Then expect it all over again with ps6.
I suggest moving to pc gaming if you want all the bells and whistle and what not!!!
If it's not green lit for production yet it's kind of a non story. Their r&d department is always experimenting with stuff, most of which never makes it to market.
I'm curious of what the price point would be. It takes a hefty $600+ to get a capable handheld with decent storage and screen and those still have pretty poor battery life. Would this handheld have a dock like every other handheld or would we be expected to shell out for the home console too?
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@Shepherd_Tallon So you finally got your Portal? ^_^ happy for you that you like it!
We tend to use it to play online multiplayer locally with my kids (Xbox and PS5 connected to one TV); one one the Xbox the other one on Portal and the third one on PC... ^_^
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VITA MEANS LIFE!
This is very exciting; I would love a new PS handheld. I still play my Vita and I'm pretty envious of the Steam Deck and competitors. With all my games locked up on Sony's systems, this is a great development! Hopefully it amounts to something
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@__jamiie couldn't agree more. It's the first console I've ever bought that has a tinge of regret, over 3 years later and im still thinking "what was really the point?". Hopefully it'll eventually do something spectacular but I'm worried that by the time that happens PS6 will already have been announced.
@Kalime78 I did!
I'm getting lots of use out of it too. I keep saying this but I can't believe how well it works.
I like that setup you have. I might do something similar when Helldivers launches. There's a game night in work but I don't want to hog the tv on Friday night. So I'll just sink in to the armchair, pop in the earbuds and play away.
Making it like the steam deck is the only way its not a flop. So it's good they'd go that direction, if this is true.
@__jamiie couldn’t agree more! PS4 has now stopped holding back PS5 and it’s time to shine
Guessing sooner or later everything could / would be hybrid like Switch:
@Sanquine @__jamiie I started getting annoyed with all the PS5 Pro talk.
The only first-party PS5-only games to have been released so far are (off the top of my head - please correct me if there are more):
Demons' Souls
Returnal
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Spider-Man 2
The Last of Us: Part 1.
Only 3 of those games are actually "new". Yet, people are already wanting PS5 Pro and talking PS6.
Sony has barely scratched the surface of what the PS5 can do and yet, it seems, the base PS5 isn't "enough".
@__jamiie
Rumors of the PS5 pro are getting heavier. Sounds to me like the PS5 was some stop gap solution if even that. A PS4-pro.5 or something.
I guess I just don't get the point. Sony's games go to PC and often run well on Steam Deck. And I think we're past the point where they'll develop full platform exclusives for a portable hardware line.
I'm not opposed to the idea, but as a Steam Deck owner, me I'll need a reason to buy in.
I'm just going to throw this out there. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, if Sony doesn't force us into a carrier specific mobile connection (I still remember the Vita AT&T boos from the crowd) and avoids ungodly over priced proprietary memory cards people will more likely support it. I would.
The way to do it is the way the Switch does it.
Also then you are not stretching you all ready takes ages to get a game developers messing around with yet another device.
been calling for EXACTLY this for the past few years. this is great news. it would also mean that our current ps4 digital library will be compatible out of the box. sony will need to figure out a validation process for our physical ps4 collection as well.
if sony waits it out a couple more years and launches the handheld with the ps6, i have no doubt it will be powerful enough to run most ps5 games with performance and visual downgrades so long as it supports an ssd out of the box. sony would be foolish not to follow suit with what valve has already achieved with the steamdeck. it is a new era of portable hardware and i see no reason not to take a stab at it since it is not disruptive to their console software titles in the way other portable handhelds were in the past in requiring two seperate software libraries. this is why the switch flourished the way it did.
also, i can already visualize the day where buyer's remorese hits an all time high and thousands of portals are chucked into a ditch
I would possibly buy a portable PS4, but PS4 is on its way out, and that's overdue, so coasting on the dwindling number of PS4 releases is not a good idea. You do get an extensive catalog, but nothing new.
@Nei that's fair. I just hope for the day where there is a little bit more universality to products, and operating systems, I think. I don't think people owning a Steam Deck and a PS Portable and a Switch all at once would be a common thing though. So it is maybe more of what Sony could change to secure a handheld future, and if they collaborated (or paid Valve some money to help integrate PC and PS on a handheld) it'd be better all round.
Of course, Sony will think they have enough games to have their own handheld, and they probably do.
I guess, in my mind, Gamepass is available on PC so they can eventually steamroller steam as a storefront so MS can control both Operating systems and game stores on PC's in the future 😅
tbh Sony need a use for all those PSVR2 screens they wont be selling
Loved the PSP and Vita, if only it had an HDMI dock then it would have been a Switch killer before the Switch was a twinkle in the eye. (and yes I had the PS thing that did have a HDMI out but no screen, that was a little late to the party).
Great to see the Vita back, just needs that dock and native PS4 strength and its a winner.
Plenty of room for switch and Vita handhelds; very different games.
@Xbox_Dashboard Sony we’re releasing handhelds years before the steam deck existed lol
Usb c and not asking gamers to sell one of their kidneys for a memory card, you combine that with an actual existent marketing strategy then it would sell well.
They never really stopped prototyping and researching handhelds in the first place. Doesn't mean they'll ever release one. Always with the rumours. We would waste so much less time if we just focussed on announced and existing stuff -.-'
Portal Pro.... Just wait
The new handheld being a success will be less important than Sony taking some sales away from the competition, whatever that console will be at the time.
If true, the key to its success is going to be support of good AAA games and developers. The Vita was a great platform but big titles and developers vacated the platform rather quickly and it ended up more or less being an Indie platform which made it suffer in profitability and relevance.
Wish they would move away from AMD and RNDA and switch to an Nvidia solution. I know it'd drive the price up so that's why they won't but if the switch 2 does run on nvidia chips it will hopefully pave the way for some more beautiful handheld devices capable of dlss for even better framerates
Focus on PS5, Sony. PSVR2 isn't doing that great, and we're only now really getting into the current generation. Another dedicated Sony handheld would not perform well, given how they sent Vita out to die with little support.
I'm curious to see what Nintendo bring us with the successor to the Switch, but if the technology then gets to at a point where we can realistically get a dockable device that has the power of whatever the PS6 ends up being, that would be pretty special.
Would be cool if the make something as powerful as the legion go pro
@lindos the psp go did in fact have a dock. it was before hdmi was a thing, but it could connect to a CRT via component. psp go with the dock was the switch before the switch existed. many people are not aware of this and give nintendo all the credit
And when Sony snaps out of their delusion and realizes they just wasted money, we'll be paying for it with more price hikes of plus subscriptions and future consoles.
@EVIL-C sony has a different divison for r&d. development on a new handheld will not interfere with software development on the ps5 in any way. we likely won't see this new handheld for a good 3-4 years anyways.
@DETfaninATL yes, but that was because sony required native software to be designed specifically for the vita and it interfered with resources going towards console software. the beauty of a new handheld in 2024 is that it would be powerful enough that existing ps4 games would presumably run on it natively out of the box in the same way steam deck runs pc games. ps5 games may need some minor updates but could be scaled down to function — again, in the same way pc games run on steam deck. the situation you described with the vita wouldn't occur with all of the advantages we now have on the tech side.
So they're basically looking at jumping on the hype train and looking at making a PlayStation deck
WHERE ARE THE GAMES SONY?
Considering the complete lack of first party psvr2 support, this is just another example of Sony having really lost its way in the fog of corporate greed. Yet, another enthusiast focused peripheral cash grab that the drones will eat up of which Sony will support during launch with the bare minimum and then walk away with fresh pockets of cash due to the return-on-investment ratio.
All the while we here nothing about what their studios are doing, and this isn't even rumored to support whatever the hell that may be.
As someone with an existing mountain of PS4 games, I really like the idea of a portable PS4, rather than something with a separate library (like the Vita)
@KundaliniRising333 Doesn't the Until Dawn Remaster, TLOU1 Remake of a remaster and TLOU2 Remaster, Uncharted 4 & Lost Legacy Remaster with also a rumoured Horizon Zero Dawn remaster count?
And who can forget Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut and Death Stranding Directors Cut!
Go Sony!
@__jamiie We're clearly in the later stages of diminishing returns when it comes to gaming tech, so new-gen hardware will simply fail to impress.
AI and path-tracing might stir things up a bit come next-gen, but I don't think they'll give us anything close to the mind-blowing leap we experienced when the PS2 came out.
As John Linemann from DF rightly says, the actual limitation today is not hardware, it's budget.
@Art_Vandelay Nonsense, look at a game like Teardown where everything has physics and is destructible, it looks worse than Minecraft.
The new frontier will be physics/AI based interactions, games these days are barely interactable.
Sounds cool, if true. Hopefully it has a NVMe M.2 slot and plays Vita games. I'll hold my breath, but the PS Portal has given it fuel.
This sounds plausible, though it also sounds a lot like my PS4 Go push from 2 to 3 years ago. So I'm wondering if sony is going to be owing me some royalties here lol.
In all seriousness this is something I've been bugging sony for. The Ability to take my PS4 digital library on the go. Maybe even one with the ability to install my discs and have a refresh expiration date of some sort via drive attachment or using the PS4/5. The PS5 stuff I didn't ask for, but speculated as to "that would be something nice if something with PS5 could be done".
No lie I'd buy this, even if I'm currently rocking my portal at least 3 nights out of the week. Even Platinumed a handful of games. picking away at platinums I hadn't finished. Wishing that I could have loaded up Tekken Tag 2 on my PS3 and use dit with that.
I really don't need a system with dedicated games for it. I'd like to see them retire PS4 and do a PS4 Go. Though nothing wrong with continuing both. PS4 has a rich library of games that even me with a huge PS5 library is still playing games for the platform. Tales of Symphonia is waiting to be played. Playing through Ender Lillies. Pocky and Rocky Reshirned could use some love. Pretty sure I have some castlevania games that still need playing.
If this leads to some PS4 games even getting updated to have more PS5 like features that would be great to see that expanded.
I'm totally game for this. It seems like the next natural step with Steamdeck and Nintendo Switch being out in the wild. In a world were scalability is a thing.
@Gravity_Bear Definitely one of the reasons I bought the portal was to help show interest in this.
NVMe sounds like a logical move, so long as its easier to get out than the Steamdeck. Love my Deck, but it is kind of a pain to get in there. Certainly hope its a 2280 and not a 2230. Would very much prefer to not pay 200 for another 2230, 2TB SSD like I did for deck. Rather put it towards a 4TB (hopefully by time this releases 8TB). If they go proprietary like they did with the original vita, I'm out. That's what killed that platform and I would rather not relive that nightmare even as a 64 gig Vita owner.
Playing Vita games I could kind of see. I think a limited library of titles might be applicable. That rear touch pad is a problem. I'd rather see compatibility break than have that return. Certain titles like Uncharted would be nice to have, especially if they can get bend to update it for a Vita 2 that only omits that control.
I guess the big questions are, can we get it in portal form factor? Will it connect to a TV with a dock (please say yes)? Allow the use of a Dual Sense? Be compatible with Bluetooth headphones as well as PlayStation Link?
@Art_Vandelay
"As John Linemann from DF rightly says, the actual limitation today is not hardware, it's budget."
I think honestly what ever new hardware comes has to play into that budget problem. Make games easy to make, have the api's that leverage the hardware and come with tools, even engines provided as part of the sdk. Has elements that neatly combine with their feature sets to create new experiences.
I feel like Sony has been dipping its toe in that pond for a while. Phyre Engine, Decima Engine, etc. Trying to find the best way to bring more games in and reduce budgets. I will not be surprised if Decima ends up being a standard part of the PlayStation Dev kit in the next 10 years.
Sony just don't get it 🫤
Vita was a great console ruined by lack of support from Sony.
PlayStation VR2 is a great bit of kit, ruined by lack of support from Sony.
PlayStation Portal is a nice bit of kit, but massively overpriced and doesn't actually do what most people wanted it to do.
Now there's plans for another portable that... Doesn't do what most people want it to do and relies entirely on third parties spending money to support it.
It's got all the markers for another dumpster fire 😞
Personally, I would like to see a Vita 2 with a unique selling point, able to play it's own library of games, that can also play PS4/PS5 as described in this article. A Switch-like dock would be essential as well. What that unique selling point is, I don't know, but it needs to be more than just a miniature PS5 that can play some games that have been patched.
The PS Vita is my favourite handheld, I have 3 (all different models), would love a successor to it!
Ah geez proprietary nonsense il wait til the sdcard adapters come out.
@MattBoothDev I have to strongly disagree. Vita was doomed to fail. No matter what Sony did, there was no way it would have succeeded. For one thing, it launched with Sony's strongest IP at the time, Uncharted. It also had Little Big Planet (which was much more popular back then), several new IPs (like Tearaway and Gravity Rush) but nothing seemed to move the needle.
At the time, all the comments I was reading were like "why would I buy a handheld when I have a smartphone? If I want to play a playstation game, I'll do so on a big screen". Even the 3ds was sort of struggling at first. It wasn't until the siwtch that handhelds became "cool" again.
@naruball it didn't help that Sony abandoned marketing it pretty much straight away, though.
One issue with the console was the performance was terrible. I've home-brewed mine and a small overclock makes Uncharted: Golden Abyss pretty much run at 60FPS and a lot more enjoyable.
The form factor was unfortunate as well. The sticks were hard to grip with the console and the touch pad on the back was more of a hinderence. I find the PSP easier to hold, despite it being smaller.
But I still maintain that with bigger pushes from experienced studios we could've had a much better experience in the end.
In the end mine became a portable PS1 emulator.
Edit:
I think the resurgence of desire for a handheld these days is at least something to do with how utterly abysmal the mobile gaming market is these days. There aren't any mobile games worth playing anymore.
If it can play psp, vita, and ps1-5 games, I’ll get it. If not, pass. Their treatment of the vita ruined Sony for me.
@NotSoCryptic yeah, you'd hope that they did 2280, it makes sense to have that, it's cheaper and you have more options.
I actually liked the back touch panel when it was being used creatively and well, but of course a lot of games didn't do that and just used it as extra buttons or as a gimmick. Would be nice to have extra mappable buttons on the back, some could replace the back touch system, but yes it is a conundrum for keeping games compatible. If they updated Uncharted, I'd love for them to also get rid of the motion controlled log walk. Took me a few times to walk over that and I was left thinking "why can't I just walk over it?"
Would be great to have a docking system and use the Dual Sense controller, along with USB ports, Bluetooth accessories and a rechargeable battery you can replace easily, so you can buy an extra two and then in the future it's easier to replace depleted batteries.
Ah, if Sony do it right, it could be a totally sensational hand held. Dreams....
Nope. Absolutely not. Not after what they did to the Vita. I will not trust Sony again with a portable console.
They could go the way of the switch with the ps6 and have a portable option though. A ps5 one seems too late to me.
But, it's something they should consider if they want to grow in japan again. Thinking about it... yes a portable ps5 would still work for japan.
@MattBoothDev I'm right there with you when it comes to the initial push that it... didn't receive. I remember they had they opportunity to advertise it on the Superbowl, for example, and they didn't. Meanwhile, single games, like God of War, got ads there. Go figure.
But I'm not sure about the other complains. I mean both the 3ds and the switch are infinitely less comfortable to hold, the 3ds had one stick (and an awkward accessory for a second) and they sold incredibly well. And let's not even talk about the abysmal performance of many of their games. At the end of the day, though, that's not what sells games. Hence why the most powerful console doesn't always win the race and things like the Wii can destroy the competition.
Sony simply didn't have a killer handheld tailored game like Pokemon at launch to ensure that everyone was talking about the vita positively. It instantly became the butt of the joke and it never managed to take off. So Sony abandoning by not releasing more games on it wasn't the issue, imo.
Even though I think that VR is facing a similar fate, unfortunately, in this case, I strongly believe that had Sony supported it properly its sales would have been much higher. Because there's clearly some demand for it, as evident from sales of other VR devices.
@NotSoCryptic That's a good point, but it has been in motion for a while now as you rightly suggested.
In fact, the industry-wide movement towards UE5 has a lot to do with productivity tools and tech. Dynamic GI (Lumen) has the potential to be a massive time-saver for devs, and so does virtualized geometry (Nanite). And there's Meta-human, AI assisted terraforming, and so on.
The issue is that, as UE5 becomes bigger, it doesn't necessarily becomes better. Complexity mounts, further compounded by the sheer number of hardware platforms to support. The industry has become too big for its own sake.
Regarding Decima, I was quite impressed with Death Stranding 2's recent trailer. I'm with you here: it's shaping up to be a great alternative to Unreal Engine, and Sony is clearly investing a lot in it.
I play my Nintendo Switch docked only. A "PS Vita 2" doesn't interest me. I much rather have PS5 games that fully utilize the hardware.
It would only really make sense to do this if there are dedicated games for the console. I can't see anybody ignoring their ps5or6 for a lower capability handheld! I'd still get one but would want to see dedicated AAA games designed for it
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