Sony is reportedly returning to the handheld console and developing a new portable device that can play PlayStation 5 games while on the go. Unlike the PlayStation Portal, the new handheld is believed to be a direct competitor to the Nintendo Switch and its successor.
This weekend, Bloomberg reported that a new unannounced PlayStation handheld is in active development. It’s believed that while the new PlayStation portable device is being worked on, it’s not likely to be released until a few years down the road. “Sony’s portable device is likely years away from launch and the company could still decide against bringing it to market, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private plans,” Bloomberg said.
If indeed true, Sony would then be joining the ranks alongside Microsoft, which is also looking to make a footprint in the handheld market. Earlier this month, Xbox chief Phil Spencer discussed that prototypes of a handheld are being worked on and that the mobile market is an essential one to tap into. Additionally, Nintendo is slowly but surely preparing to bring its Nintendo Switch successor to market. While still unannounced, Nintendo has indicated that the ‘Nintendo Switch 2’ will feature backwards compatibility with the original Switch hardware.
PlayStation’s return to developing a native piece of on-the-go hardware comes after a large hiatus. This new device will ostensibly be a follow-up to 2012’s PlayStation Vita. At the time, the Vita bridged the gap between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It aimed to deliver PlayStation 3-like visuals with its 5-inch OLED display and innovative great touchpad. Despite finding relative success in Japan, PlayStation Vita ultimately failed to capture a core audience, selling only an estimated 15 million units. The device was then discontinued on March 1, 2019.
The latest comes days after PlayStation released an update for its PlayStation Portal handheld to include cloud streaming. Unlike this in-development handheld, the PlayStation Portal mirrors what’s available on the user’s PlayStation 5. It runs exclusively on Wi-Fi and players aren’t able to run games natively on it.
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