Sony's Portable PS5 Streaming Handheld Launches Later This Year

No cloud streaming or streaming via 5g network... It looks way bad though, no looking as iconic as the Vita. I am waiting for the price. One could argue that the Steam Deck makes those devices irrelevant, although I have not tried PS4/PS5 streaming on my Deck yet.

Very limited in function and knowing Sony it's probably going to be way overpriced.

I love this idea…. It was pretty much what got me back into gaming with the WiiU. Would consider getting one for $300 or less, especially if the controls mimic the Duelsense fairly well.

I’ll be getting this currently using the backbone

So this will be useless for on the go? Getting a steam deck or other handheld devices is a far more better option in this case, I don't think this will sell well when they are invading a market with various handhelds available, not a good start especially with no mobile data support

I actually really like the design of it but I have a feeling they're gonna try and bend us over a barrel with the price.

Looks good, but with only a little bit of tinkering you can get a Steam Deck to do the same thing, plus a whole lot more. And it being Sony, I can't see it costing much less than a base Steam Deck...

So why would I use this and not my iPad/iPhone with a DualSense?

Because the WiiU was so successful. Why?

Honestly, it feels like the entire point of the presentation was to announce this device... a Switch clone with less functionality due to needing to be near the PS5 to play anything... making it essentially useless as a portable gaming device.

I expect this will be around $200. I won't be bothering with it.

Sony deciding to not just reinvent the wheel, but the Wii U instead.

@Feena The WiiU failed because of lousy marketing, it was awesome to have a console experience on a handheld. My only concern with this is how well it performs on my network. I don’t think this will sell significant units, but I would use it as I like to play games in bed.

Heh... No pricing, then no hyping...
My guess is that it's gonna be at least 300$, in which case they can keep it.

I will get it but it's gonna be about £199

Looks like a DualSense modded by a random talented YouTuber, or some monstrosity from BigBen (what’s their new name now?) or another vendor for cheap controllers. The DualSense is really aesthetically pleasing, but this?

I wonder how Ryan keeps a straight face when saying Sony are innovative and announces a WiiU pad and some wireless earbuds.

They must know.

"Innovation is our passion, and that applies to not just what games you play, but how you play them"

And we totally haven't just copied the Wii U gamepad

@mateofrito don’t get me wrong I had a WiiU and enjoyed it but it doesn’t seem like there would be a huge demand for this? I don’t like all these main console paraphernalia tbh

I would get one, but no more than 120€, or 200 if it has an OLED screen.

Is the screen going to be OLED or nahh? I’m interested in this. Not something I’d use every day though. But it would be great to play turn base games on the fly

If it actually streams well via wifi then I’ll pick it up. I don’t really take portable devices anywhere other than the living room anyway, but I need to know this is going to work well.

This is going to be more expensive than the Dualsense Edge and for that reason it is going to be dead within weeks.

If its less than £200 then it's a day one buy for me, especially considering the PlayStation backbone one is £100 and that's just a basic controller add on for a phone.

It being an LCD screen kinda kills my excitement for it. Maybe it'll be cheap?

I will buy this then put it away and not use it at all after the first week. Then a year or so later, or maybe sooner, someone will hack it and then it will be great

I've been playing breath of the wild all evening on Wii u. The Wii u is absolutely amazing.

8 inch screen is relatively big. I guess there could be market for it.

A lot of leaks got it right. We bash them when they are wrong. I am here to say they got a lot right about the Sony show. This thing looks the opposite of portable. But i will wait for reviews. Not sure it has a place in my rotation.

This is a sticking plaster over PlayStation’s lack of a hand held system. Sony has never had the knack of making enough smaller compelling games to fit on a portable like Nintendo can. I can’t see them making something to play God Of War Ragnarok on the bus anytime soon.

Thanks to Sony I don't need a Sony remote play/cloud streaming handheld. I saved money on a paperweight thanks. Sticking to my Switch. Or my Vita or my Phone if I want remote play. Or my PS4. All ways to remote play to PS5 so why a paperweight. I don't want a screen I want a handheld.

I want western third parties to actually support it this time they know the mobile market they do or don't support Switch. I want them to actually put effort in. If it's a Japanese/Indies machine I'm fine with that but western third parties failed the Vita last time they are to blame. Sony sure didn't want to scale games down to it but I want them to put the effort in this time more than 2011-2014 like last time with first party games. I don't want PS5 to a smaller screen experience or cloud gaming.

As an option we have phones, PC, PS4. I don't a cloud future, I don't want to go oh we don't have a console aka Stadia no console just a screen/TV app to a server like Stadia /XCloud is (remember the Xbox streaming device prototype) was. Pay for 8K, 16K, 30FPS, 60FPS tiers. I don't want a dodgy future that is easily predictable of streaming level greed and internet connection limits. Or SD/HD cable even as another example. I've want to play fast paced games with no input lag of a remote play or streaming device .

I want actual hardware not a screen, wifi chip and buttons to PS5 games. I want a proper handheld, a digital storefronts (I want physical but I doubt it). I want dual screen support for games. I want 4v1 modes locally not online like Evolve or Predator Hunting Grounds were. I want Playroom VR and Nintendo Land like 4v1. I like dual screen inventory and maps for singleplayer. I will have to go to the Surface Duo or Samsung Fold otherwise to get those for dual screen android games or even DS/3DS emulation I'd I dare. It's what made the Wii U great DS emulation.

Then again Wii U was Gamepad and console no routerblike the Steam Link, Xbox remote play or Sony offerings are. All I need is a Battery pack and a screen no wifi/Sim card for data at all. Just go. I can't take a PS4 and Vita/Phone unless I have a router or other solutions no thanks.

If it was a digital only handheld then I'd be fine with that (I'm not into to digital as my primary I prefer physical but I'd respect the decision more than a cloud handheld) but clearly they aren't up for dev teams working on a handheld anymore like with Vita they made it clear it's over for that to be the case so cloud it is then....... We got the digital with PSP/Vita so cloud it is then.

Honestly if this was the Android grips I'd have been more fine with it but it being a real paperweight remote play/streaming handheld they can keep it I don't want it. I have my own devices already to do it if I want already and for 'offline' use as well.

It has no android backup option like the other streaming handhelds (making it more useless than a LogiTech G Cloud and others) when you can't access streaming services so why would I want a paperweight.

As an 'option' to stream sure but a handheld that has to be online is a joke.

They didn't want to make a new handheld, they didn't want cartridge production, they didn't want digital games scaled to the handheld either, they didn't want their studios to cut down games for it like they did Vita as they made it clear they gave up on that direction.

But they make a in-between that's only streaming with likely the PS+ catalogue or whatever PS5 digital games, (maybe disk if their fair enough like remote play offers of disk and digital) so not really trying at all and competing worse then the android streaming handhelds they are competing with (sure the service you can access but you can access others like Xbox or other cloud solutions or Android games not just PS+ games so why would people buy this for one ecosystem when they can other ecosystems or use a phone/PC/PS4 instead), thanks for not committing.

There is a reason PC handhelds are the place to play current gen PlayStation games on the go then Sony's own online not committing enough option. What a waste of R&D.

Also the Steam Deck has touchpads it's automatically better there too.

Slightly more convenient than connecting my Dualsense to my phone. Worth the probable £150? Probably not. If I could play it on the go maybe. But no 5G connection makes it somewhat pointless.

I use an iPad and a dualsense. This device is utterly pointless.

If you really want to go this route then just sell me the dualsense that comes in two halves and can connect to a wide range of devices. That has a purpose.

This LCD with no mobile data is just utterly rubbish. It's doa. Absolute fail from Sony - are they even serious about this? It's never going to sell!

This is one of the ugliest devices I ever seen.

I have PS Premium and streaming PS3 games is a poor experience. I bought a backbone and sadly it's been a poor experience. I've literally tried it in the same room as my PS5 and Router, tried Ethernet cables and the remote play still lags and/or says it has 'poor signal'. If this device can't fix that it, I see no point in buying this. Will save my money for the eventual Switch 2.

So much negativity... I'll buy it depending on price....

Interested in the ear buds if they’re a good quality with 3D audio

So useless :/ Why can't I just use my phone? ROG Ally ftw!!

Looks awful looks cheap, literally like some modder made it and posted it on You Tube, hey look what I did with my Sony tablet and Dual Sense. And only PS5 games over WiFi? Why? It serves a minuscule market at best. Looks like a total waste of time and money in R&D IMO.
I had a Vita but sold it, it's alright but was a bit meh to me. I much prefer my PSP which I still have. But Sony totally missed a trick here, the handheld market is on FIRE right now and will only get bigger, and they came out with this thing? They could have easily made a Vita 2 and the world have gone nuts.

Maybe as a extra controller with some additional functionality, but it has to be cheap.

Sony really have decided to go all out with pricey add on hardware this gen. PSVR2, DualSense Edge, this abomination. I love my VR2 but have no need for the DualSense Edge although I can see why certain gamers may find it a useful investment.

This thing though. Wow. Going on recent form, it's bound to be expensive and anyone who buys one purely to play whilst the TV is on or play in bed, really has more money than (dual)sense.

@pip_muzz this comment made my day

I can take my Switch (or a Steamdeck) anywhere and play my entire library because it doesn't require WIfi. it will be laggy AF, or drain your data in minutes.

FFS, Sony hasn't got a clue...

@pip_muzz At least the Wii U had Pikmin.

"“Innovation is our passion, and that applies to not just what games you play, but how you play them,” said boss Jim Ryan about something that PSP started two generations ago. But hey, it's the thought that counts. This announcement is moving me the closest I've ever been to considering a prospective PS5 purchase, although I'd be lying if I claimed not to take the news with caution. Vita's native resolution can handle PS4 streams even on 3G (as long as you squeeze past the whimsical "internet quality" startup bouncer), but this one seems bound to target 720p and upwards, something that even 4G tends to struggle with (while 5G might be lucky to hit us second-worlders by 2030). And as Wii U is our witness, limiting portability to the immediate apartment area will only turn so many heads despite what QoL perks it does supply. That said, I feel compelled to note that this is the only discussion angle appropriate to bring up Nintendo's underrated home dualscreener; all the above comments claiming that Project Q outright "reinvents Wii U" in a single (if most popular) feature sound as literate about gaming history as Ryan just did. If anything, it was PS4 that briefly tried to jump on the bandwagon by giving Vita select "second screen" pairup functionality... or do this site'a visitors likewise remember Vita as much as Sony does?🙄😅

Time will tell, possibly including future details about oddly absent options like PS Premium streaming (Vita didn't have it for obvious reasons but nowadays, even friggen Windows 10 does). But my curbed enthusiasm still comes hand in hand with due credit - this is still a Remote Play revival that all the phone/holder/DualSense chimeras of years past conspicuously weren't. As for "5G connections"... remind me, how far did Vita's native 3G go? Most MSPs outside the usual few geographic suspects wouldn't provide dedicated sim cards even if they were hip enough to know what a "Vita" was to begin with. And now, from Switch to Steam Deck, portable gaming mostly relies on mobile hotspots instead. Don't you guys have phones?© 😄 The latter are bound to get native 5G long before any other consumer tech ever does.

@MrGawain they already made Vita to play God of War on a bus (alongside other big experiences from Resistance and Gravity Rush to NFS MW12 and [a reportedly rough but ultimately playable] Borderlands 2), not to mention PSP's likes of GTA and GUN a generation prior or Nintendo's hybrid queen that filled many a commute with all kinds of God of War Ragnarok tier journeys a generation after. The tech is there, so hope springs eternal. Leading Aloy through the HZD wilderness on the go courtesy of Deck feels downright worth having forfeited my sizeable PS4 playthrough and more "transformative" than ten PSVRs could hope to be.😄

if this LCD display is capable of 120Hz, VRR, ALL, 1440p and all the bells and whistles of a HDMI 2.1 telly, then it could make sense, instead of spending 1000+ in a telly, at 200 seems sensible, otherwise it's pointless. My 12.9 inches iPad Pro and DualSense via remote does the job.

@BlueBeemer "will the PS6 just be a Switch clone?"

Implying this wouldn't be an unironically frabjous day.😜

No Vita 2/PSP3? Nothing to see here, folks.

Here at Sony, we like to innovate. So weve made the Nintendo switch.

Looks like useless junk to me! like everyone is saying they basically copied the wii u, why? Why not copy the more successful and useful Switch? I hope this device bombs so hard that Sony will have to ship them away to Ukraine

I have to say... it looks like it will break easely.

Looks kinda like a Switch.

I use the train to get around my city. I would use my hotspot on my phone for this. But I can see this using up so much of my hotspot data.

I'll get it depending on the price point.

They say 60fps and 1080p, but doesn't that depend entirely on your wifi speed? I can stream my PS4 to my SteamDeck, but the resolution takes a hit regularly because my internet is only 50mpbs.

As a busy Dad who rarely gets the TV, this would be a lifesaver. I stream on my phone with a Razr Kishii sometimes, but I do miss the haptic feedback and layout of the DualSense. If it sits between $150.00 and $200.00 I will probably bite. I love my WiiU, so this would solve a lot of problems in terms of not being forced to play the Switch most of the time and being able to finally put some of my PS5 backlog behind me.

It's it me or do Sony continue to miss the point with what their fans really want in a handheld? What's the point in this new portable? You can already download the streaming app for free and run it on your mobile...... For free! So why but yet another useless expensive piece of kit? Then there's the fact that it's pretty much useless outside of the home (if your internet is any good that is!) as the experience I've had with remote play has been got and miss at best. I absolutely can't play at work; I've tried many times, it's useless on the network (without wi-fi). Isn't that the point of portable? Most people have more than one TV so if one's being used then you use the 2nd one surely?
This would have been ok if it had had an option to download a few gigs of a game to play outside natively or connected to ps± to do something similar but this.... What's the point is it's already available.... And I say it again, for free!
There a huge following for the Vita and fans want something like that. This idea is just lame sorry and this is coming from a handheld fan. I have 6 PSPs, a vita, 2 Switches, an Evercade (look it up) and some old school retro handhelds. Not for me

@tinCAT-zero agreed it really is

Thank you for reviving the glory of Wiiu 🤣🤣🤣

@Exerion76 vita was great but with no game to keep it alive. Same trend now with PS that's why they don't want to repeat their mistake imo

i have no doubt that this will be the next vita tv. it will be dead on arrival and heavily discounted about 12 months after release, before it is phased out for good. with an msrp of 249USD (prediction), many people will be fooled into getting one (thinking that it is a portable ps5) until they realize it only streams from ps5 and does little else. the latency and compression is not going to be very good, not to mention the UI of many console games will not translate well to a smaller screen. i mean, if sony is still paralyzed from the vita and risk adverse to handheld gaming, why are they releasing this thing? it would make more sense to take a chance on a proper handheld device — one that can play ps4 games natively (including a curated list of ps1, ps2, psp and vita classics via emulation) and stream ps3 and ps5 games for example. it wouldn't need cutting edge hardware to play ps4 games either (it is tech from 2013 for god sakes). i think such a device would resonate with gamers a lot more and be worth the "risk". ask yourself: how could a portable ps4 handheld fail? ps4 software is going to be relevent for the next 3 years and the backlog is incredible. they could probably get it to an msrp of 300USD which is fairly reasonable too.

If your plan is to release a portable device for remote play... Why allow remote play to already work on every pre-existing portable device?

I'm sorry but it's just plain stupid. They have already eroded the market this device would serve. The price point is irrelevant too - even if this comes in around the 200 mark I'd still argue you are better putting the 200 towards a Tablet or new phone.

Besides... they haven't told us the price. If this was coming out at 200 and perceived to be "cheap / good value" I think they'd have told us already.

Sony should spend less time talking about other hardware makers and more time watching and learning. This device is so off the mark it's embarrassing!

And not to bash too much here... (I do like Sony really) but claiming those earbuds offer "outstanding sound quality" without telling g us any of the associated spec is like I've gone back in time to the 90s when marketing was essentially just telling lies!

It's just poor. Very poor.

@SillyBoyJudas If it works over WiFi outside your home. That would make sense if it does. However as it’s WiFi only, I have a feeling it’ll be expensive. Because otherwise surely they would have priced it accordingly to offer a 5G version as well? If it does work outside the house on WiFi as you suggest then it becomes a bit more useful. Still it’ll be a bit bulky I think looking at that design and an 8” screen.

Having just announced the backbone for Android, the only selling points are the bigger screen and, you would hope, fast WiFi connection?

I'll stick with my steam deck thank you!

$250 or less, any higher its not worth it. There are better choices out there.

This miiiiiiiight be acceptable for 50-70 euros. Anything more than that and they'd have to be insane to try and sell it. You can't even take it on the go, so it's even MORE limited than the phone you already have in your pocket.

Literally everyone has something already that does AT LEAST what this device can do, for free. This has to be priced as an impulse buy or they'll sell precisely 10 units.

When this fails catastrophically they'll blame its lack of success for not making an actual handheld like a PSP2, even though it wouldn't really be the same thing at all.

I installed remote play on my steamdeck so no way is this of any interest to me...
Even if it was a proper handheld I'd have had questions as they're fumbling PSVR2 about as hard as they did Vita or the original PSVR, releasing far too few games for people to want to adopt the hardware.

Looks good for additional controllers, but I'm sure this will be overpriced

Utter waste of time - we were hoping against hope that the handheld would be a PSP 3 but instead we got this tripe. Can't take it with you when you go somewhere as it needs a network connection at all times to be anything more than a doorstop. Hope if fails badly.

I have no use for this and I question how large of a market is there for it? Why would one play on a tiny screen at home? Then there is the common teeny tiny skinny text size that may be even more difficult to read on an 8 inch screen.

News of a slim PS5 coming this fall/winter is what I was hoping for. Also with a web browser and new ui that allows custom themes like my PS3 and PS4 do.

I like the idea, but if it's essentially useless outside of the home, don't see why you wouldn't just go for the backbone device and play via remote play on your phone (assuming it's got a good enough screen!). That at least allows for streaming?
I don't stream games anyway, so I would theoretically be the ideal candidate for such a device, but even I wouldn't have that much use for it!

Really awkward that their "innovative passion" is currently on whats practically a Wii U gamepad as well as some wireless earbuds…

Coincidentally, I watched the Digital Foundry review a few days ago comparing the Steam Deck and Asus Rog Ally, the latter being more powerful and more expensive but both have roughly the same battery life depending on CPU/GPU load. I'd rather have a Steam Deck or an Asus Rog Ally that can do remote play and not limited to a console and can also play games on their own.

@eltomo I was wondering exactly the same thing.

Yes, but can I play Tears of the Kingdom on it?

The huge difference I see here between Wii U and Project Q is that the GamePad is connected directly to the Wii U while this Project Q is connected to the router and the router connected to the console and that adds a certain amount of latency. The router works as a bridge between the two devices. Also notice the resolution difference that means many more data packages. The Wii U GamePad resolution is 854x480 and it doesn't use any bridge.

Yes, remote play and cloud gaming on smartphones/tablets always need a bridge or a server but you get many perks like using any controller and console and even playing anywhere with the console off.

It will be funny when this Wii U Gamepad knockoff sells for as much as the Wii U $299. 😂

Just go ahead and add it to this list of Sony hardware failures:

3D Display ($500 for 32”)
PSPgo (right before the PSN shut down completely)
PS Vita TV (which didn’t have tv or even Netflix)

It looks fun BUT it can only be used in you home right?
1080p 60fps on a 8inch screen
OR
4K 60fps on a Sony 55inch (Made for PS5 TV)
Ohhh that's a toughie lol

@Feena - I don’t think this will sell be a big seller, but I think it will sell to justify its existence. They are seeing the Backbone sell well, so they are targeting a niche market that wants to play PS5 while the tv is occupied.

sony wants to compete with switch ?
its a big ''maybe'' for me.
all will depend on price.

I really don't see the point in this thing and I'm a guy with a PSVR2 .... So I know something about wasting money.

The fact that it's a WiFi only device makes me wonder why I wouldn't just use my base PS5 on a big screen in the first place.

I'm sure you won't be able to have 1 person using the PS5 for 1 game and this for another. I'd be shocked if it even worked for coop games.

@S1ayeR74 So personal hotspot works the same as wifi but uses another cell phone's data. I live in the US and my plan goes only up to a certain limit of hotspot data without any additional charges. I have only ran out of my hotspot data when traveling abroad. But after that, for faster speeds, you do have to pay more

@Marquez
Hahahaha!!! Yep!