Sony is reportedly developing a handheld successor to the PlayStation Portable and PS Vita, which would compete with Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 and Valve's Steam Deck. According to Bloomberg, this PS5 portable system is still years away from market launch, if it ever materializes at all. There remains a possibility that Sony might cancel the project. The report indicates that the PlayStation Portal was initially conceived as a competitor to the Steam Deck but later pivoted to rely on streaming via a PS5 console. However, a recent update to the PlayStation Portal has introduced a cloud-streaming beta for PS Plus Premium members, eliminating the need for a PS5 to play games on the device.
Sony isn't the only company eyeing the handheld market. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has openly expressed his interest in an Xbox handheld, though its release is also several years off, if it happens at all. Meanwhile, Nintendo is expected to unveil the Switch 2 in the coming months, with the company confirming that the new system will be backward compatible with the current Switch.
A potential PS5 portable system would mark Sony's return to the handheld market since the launch of the PS Vita in Japan in 2011 (and North America in early 2012). The PS Vita was discontinued in Japan in early 2019, prior to the release of the PS5. Before the PS Vita, Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) was released in Japan in 2004 and North America in 2005, competing with the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS throughout the mid- to late-2000s.
For more details, check out GameSpot's hands-on article with the PlayStation Portal.
Source link: https://www.gamespot.com
