Sony is reportedly working on a handheld console that will be able to run PS5 games natively. Bloomberg reported last week that PlayStation was in the early stages of developing a parent device. The claim has now received support from Digital Foundry, which on Monday cited sources as saying that a Sony handheld was indeed in the works. The company last year launched PlayStation Portal, a handheld device that acts as a remote player for the PS5.
Sony’s new handheld reportedly supported
In its latest DF Direct Weekly show on YouTube, Digital Foundry, known for its in-depth technical analysis of games and gaming hardware, confirmed reports about a new PlayStation handheld.
“…We actually heard about this handheld exclusively from a few sources a few months ago. We’re not in the business of leaking things, but it’s interesting that this finally made its rounds, because it confirms what we’ve seen and heard off the record about this existing one – which is good. Is,” Digital Foundry’s John Linneman said during the show.
“For me it kind of reinforces the notion that yes, they are working hard on something. And this article makes it seem like it goes further than I actually thought based on it,” he added.
According to him, Sony may already have a prototype of its handheld. “So, I’m not sure where this is going; I think there’s probably something like prototype stuff in there. There are still a lot of questions for this, but it seems like a future of offering handheld and home console options is very possible at this point.
Sony, for its part, has not commented on its reported plans for a new gaming handheld that can run PS5 games on the go.
PlayStation Portal Remote Player to be launched in 2023
Photo Credit: Sony
Last week, a report from Bloomberg claimed that the company is developing a new handheld, intended as a competitor to the highly successful Nintendo Switch. The device will be able to run games natively, in line with Sony’s previous handhelds like the PSP and PS Vita. However, the reported handheld could be years away from launch.
The company’s most recent handheld, PlayStation Portal, can only stream games and media over a Wi-Fi connection from a connected PS5. This requires the device to be paired with the PS5, which must be in Rest Mode to enable Remote Play on the Portal.
However, the PlayStation Portal received an update in November that added cloud streaming support for some PS5 games. This feature, currently in beta, is available to PlayStation Plus Deluxe/Premium tier subscribers in select countries. According to Sony, PlayStation Portal users will be able to stream more than 120 PS5 games directly from the company’s servers, without the need to have a PS5 connected to the device.
