New PlayStation Handheld Looking Even More Likely as Digital Foundry Backs Up Reports

I really hope they don't try and develop it's own games. That just wouldn't be sustainable. It should either play PS5 games or 'lowest setting' PS6 games. (I'm assuming a 2027-28 release as far as tech is concerned)

If NO physical games = NO buy from me.
Also, I want more 3rd party kids games on new PS Portable machine with physical release.

Waiting for the day when physical media won't be disc-based no more, since almost every game will have patches at the end of the day~
Save the need for detachable drive moving forward, really.

If it can play Lumines: Electronic Symphony, it's a day one buy.

Well hurry up with it Sony! I've been dying to upgrade from my PS Vita which I still use to this day, I want to stay in the PlayStation ecosystem which is why I haven't bother with other portables.

@Anti-Matter never ever gonna go the route of physical games. I’d be surprised if the PS6 even have physical games to be honest

A new PSP would go hard ngl.

@Boucho11
I play all my games in physical.

@Anti-Matter you sure do love your kids..
games.

“Furthermore, 26 per cent of our readers said they'd be willing to pay up to $399 for such a console” 😆🤣🤣 Yeah add another 300-400 on top of that.

The only way i see this working is if it's a ps4 or ps5 portable.

Anything else will likely be a disaster.

Has it been stated unambiguously that we are all talking about a handheld system that only plays current games - looks side eye at Portal - or are people suggesting a separate catalog of games scenario like Soy's previous handhelds, before the Portal?

I've always thought Sony would make a new handheld, it's too big in Japan, but I've never thought it would run it's own OS or get it's own games. Probably 95% of games that run on PS5 could run on a portable, as a large part of those are PS4 games and that tech is 10 years old. And a handheld only has to run 1080p tops, it won't have a 4k screen, no reason too, so that's some hefty overhead savings right there.

Just wanted to be sure we are all talking about the same thing, not an entire new ecosystem of games.

@rjejr "or are people suggesting a separate catalog of games scenario like Soy's previous handhelds, before the Portal"

No one realistically expects this. Sony is having a hard time supporting PSVR2, even ps5. Another console would be suicide.

I'm not so sure myself I'd want one.

I always have romantic ideas of playing handheld games, it gives me a nice warm nostalgic feeling, but in reality I just never actually play them.

As a Nintendo switch owner I'd have to say my Switch has spent 95% of it's life in it's dock and been used as a home console.

The other 5% will have been when I've took it away on holiday to play on the plane

@Anti-Matter I play quite a few of mine physical also, but I just can’t see them doing it.

@Fyz306903 it sounds lowest end PS6 (if it's truly PS6) is going to be a bit of a reach. I've read that shrinking the PS5 down to handheld even with lower resolution is going to be a real tech challenge. Technology isn't getting smaller as fast as it used to.

A less powerful version of the ps6 please...kinda like the Xbox did with the series s ...but In handheld form

@naruball “ No one realistically expects this. Sony is having a hard time supporting PSVR2, even ps5. Another console would be suicide.”

Which is probably why they are targeting Kadokawa. They own Spike Chunsoft which would be a good boon to development especially on the mobile/handheld side.

I just hope they don't try and monopolize memory again 🤦

As ‘smart’ electronics get shrunk, I can see all ‘mainstream’ consoles eventually be hybrid like the Switch (which BTW, had received much criticism upon unveiling in late 2016).

Smartphones do not have native physical gamepads, while handheld consoles not too ideal to slip into a pocket (same with anything featuring a 50-60-70 inch display).

@rjejr “And a handheld only has to run 1080p tops, it won't have a 4k screen”

Granted, by the time this thing releases… handhelds will probably be 1440P-4k screen standard. 1080P will definitely be on the low end unless you’re aiming for 240hz+

Dream world thinking this will run PS6 titles.

It might run PS5 games but only those with specific patches that slash the graphics settings.

If it can run games as well as PS4 Pro when it releases, that will be a success.

As I’ve said before, a Portal 2 will be capable of streaming full uncompromised PS6 games, in a lighter package with longer battery life.

I really have no interest in native processing on a handheld anymore. Not in the PC or PlayStation space at least.

Different story with Nintendo and their cartoony type games that don’t strive for realistic visuals.

@Anti-Matter Was actually curious if this handheld will have physical cartridges...? Unless there'll be a made up mini blu-ray disc in the future lmao.

if Sony finds a way how to play our physical games collection on this handheld, I will totally buy it. my backlog is already at 100 games +- so this could be great (of course with an acceptable battery life).

After all the complaining crusades people have gone on about the Pro (too expensive, no disk drive, too expensive, a couple of games have issues, too expensive, cant see a difference) - I think I will stay away from comments sections for about 6 months after this is announced! - or 12 months if its as expensive as I think it will need to be and only runs PS5 games at potentially reduced quality.

I don't see any practical way this would let you play disk-based PS4/5/6 games, unless it's streaming from a console, which is what the Portal is for.

I don't see Sony wanting to invest in a new storage format for games for this, either. They got really sensible with the PS5, allowing standard SSD storage for it, and I think they may have finally learned their lessons there.

Which means this handheld is almost certainly going to be digital only.

Likewise, there's a greater than even chance the PS6 will be digital only, unless everyone goes out and buys physical UHD Blu-Ray movies in greater numbers to keep that portion of the industry alive and well and an example to Sony of how they don't want to leave money on the table. That's unlikely to happen, just as the trend to increasingly digital games sales seems unlikely to waver, so the need for a drive is increasingly eroding. There's a reason PCs often don't come with optical drives any more, and that Steam is the juggernaut it is.

@ButterySmooth30FPS Here, you can hold my Vita for a while

People saying you're dreaming if it can run PS6 titles. Remember you can imagine PSSR will be doing all the work. Giving it'll likely be a 1080p screen. It'll likely be 540p upscaled and look great. That won't take too much power especially if theyre lower settings versions. And remember PS5 titles don't really look much different than PS4, you can imagine it'll be the same story next gen.

Just don't make it it's own platform, it must be like switch, getting the same games as the main non-portable playstation. If the portable can't play the latest playstation, just stream it, but it has to be able to play the old playstation games (ps1-ps4, psp and psvita games).

If it have adaptive trigger etc.that would be amazing on a handheld.word up son

@AverageGamer Apple might be releasing 4k iPad screens but I just dont' see the need at the size of a gaming handheld to go over 1080p. I'm also taking into account cost and battery life, both of which should come down, but I'm still not sure it's worth it.

20 years from now when we get chips implanted in our heads it won't matter though. 😂

$400? For a portable PS5? Is it just my imagination, or shouldn't a portable PS5 be MORE expensive than a non-portable version???

@Pushsquarian most games launch playable. The digital age just allows for more perfect manmade games to be released. Older console generations since the beginning would benefit too from continuous updates as the art is perfected. Physical media isn’t the problem. Physical media allows for those of us that want ownership and the longevity of a a product that we pay for. As I’ll always be able to play my games. And like I said most games to launch playable with whatever patch version was written to the disk, USB, or other medium.

Not surprised they are spending R/D on this. As they are watching their competitors. And now there is a demand for real handheld gaming devices. I say real because for those that want to game on the go, mobile phones aren’t suitable. As not everyone is interested in the cheesy insert different skin of Tetris derivative.

My guess: it will play digital PS4 & PS5 games locally (on device) and PS6 games via cloud or Remote Play, all at 1080p resolution up to 60 FPS, with the same form factor as PS Portal, but heavier (thicker behind the screen), sold for $400 + tax in the US (possibly more if it's affected significantly by tariffs).