Sony’s new handheld report gets support, a ‘prototype’ may exist
Sony has reportedly been working on a portable console that can run PS5 games natively. The PlayStation parent was in the early stages of developing the device, Bloomberg reported last week. The claim has now received support from Digital Foundry, which said on Monday, citing sources, that a Sony handheld was indeed in the works. The company launched a handheld device last year, the PlayStation Portal, which acts as a third-party player for the PS5.
Sony’s new handheld report supported
In his latest DF Direct weekly show on YouTube, Digital Foundry, known for its in-depth technical analyzes of games and gaming hardware, confirmed the report about a new PlayStation handheld.
“…we heard specifically about this handheld several months ago from a number of sources. We’re not in the business of leaking stuff, but it’s interesting that this is finally making the rounds because it just kind of confirmed what we’d seen and heard off the record about this existing thing – which is cool,” says John from Digital Foundry. Linneman said during the show.
“For me, things like this just reinforce the idea that they are indeed working hard on something. And this article makes it look like it’s even further away than I thought based on that,” he added.
According to him, Sony may already have a prototype of its handheld. “So I’m not sure where it’s going to go; I think prototypes may exist. There are still a lot of questions about this, but it feels like this future of offering a handheld and home console option is very likely at this point.
For its part, Sony has not commented on its reported plans for a new gaming handheld that could run PS5 games on the go.
The third-party player PlayStation Portal was launched in 2023
Photo credit: Sony
Last week, a Bloomberg report claimed that the company was developing a new handheld intended to rival the highly successful Nintendo Switch. The device is said to be able to run games natively, in line with previous Sony handhelds such as the PSP and the PS Vita. However, the reported handheld is likely still years away from launch.
The company’s most recent handheld, the PlayStation Portal, can only stream games and media from a connected PS5 over a Wi-Fi connection. This requires the device to be paired with a PS5, which must be left in rest mode to enable Remote Play on the Portal.
However, the PlayStation Portal did receive an update in November that added cloud streaming support for select PS5 games. The feature, currently in beta, is available to PlayStation Plus Deluxe/Premium subscribers in select countries. According to Sony, PlayStation Portal users can stream more than 120 PS5 games directly from the company’s servers, without a PS5 tethered to the device.
