Sony has revealed its rumoured handheld, known as Project Q, which targets FHD 60FPS local game streaming from PlayStation 5 consoles.
Rumoured for some time now, Sony’s new machine is aimed at offering PS5 owners a way to play their games without having to sit in front of a TV or monitor. Aside from VR for obvious reasons, Project Q can stream any game from a PlayStation 5 console using remote play via Wi-Fi. This means that functionally this handheld is closer to the Wii U’s Gamepad or Logitech’s G Cloud machines than Vale’s Steam Deck or Asus’s ROG Ally
Project Q will carry an 8in LCD screen running an FHD (1920×1080) resolution at 60Hz. This is unfortunate since Sony’s console can render many games at QHD or 4K UHD, and at higher framerates. Though to be fair, FHD will do the trick at this size, with the added benefit of consuming less bandwidth and battery.
Learning that this isn’t a next-gen portable console will surely disappoint players who were eager to get an updated PS Vita or PSP-like machine for their daily commute. At least its controls include all the buttons and features found on the DualSense wireless controller (adaptive triggers and haptic feedback).
Note this device will need at least 5Mbps of bandwidth to operate, with 15Mbps recommended for a better experience. Sony didn’t provide further details about the handheld’s specs, stating that more information will be shared soon.
Personally, I don’t see myself paying more than £150 for this since it still requires a PS5 all while probably being unusable elsewhere – with a PC, for example – though it wouldn’t surprise me if it retails for £200 or more. Adding PlayStation Now cloud service would make the pill easier to swallow.
At the same time, Sony has also announced its first-ever PlayStation earbuds bringing high wireless audio immersion to PC and PS5 using new wireless technology developed by SIE while simultaneously connecting to smartphones via Bluetooth.
