Important points
-
With the portable gaming market lacking, Sony may reinvigorate handheld gaming with new devices.
-
A handheld PlayStation has the potential to bridge the gap between big-name first-party releases and offer a better multimedia experience.
-
A new portable PlayStation could revolutionize gaming by exposing its back catalog and expanding the PlayStation Portal.
It’s been just over five years since Sony discontinued the PlayStation Vita, and there have been no rumors of new mobile games from Sony since then. Of course, the closest thing we have to this is the PlayStation Portal on the PlayStation 5.
However, PlayStation Portal is not a standalone console. It’s just a PlayStation 5 display. To be honest, I feel like Sony should try again with a portable PlayStation. The PlayStation Vita doesn’t look back as fondly as the old PlayStation Portable, but Sony’s other portable product still has a lot of potential. Plus, there are plenty of reasons why Sony should make it.
The best PS5 accessories: controllers, headsets, and more
If you own a PS5 or plan to buy one, you’ll need the accessories that come with your console. After testing and using several, here are the best ones.
1 The true portable market is barren
Breaking away from hybrid dominance
The best-selling console on the market right now is the Nintendo Switch, which is itself a portable console. That’s reason enough for Sony to reconsider handheld development, but another reason lies in what exactly the Nintendo Switch is: a hybrid.
The Nintendo Switch can be played completely handheld or connected to a TV. It’s an impressive feat that seemed almost magical when this console was released in 2017, but it also lacks the true portability that Nintendo’s Game Boy and his DS lineups always had. I am. It’s much harder to slip a Nintendo Switch into your pocket than it is to slip a Game Boy Advance into your pocket. The same principle applies to the PSP.
It would be unwise for Sony to reduce the capabilities of its top-of-the-line PlayStation lineup to accommodate a hybrid portable device like the Switch. However, there is a wide open market for dedicated handheld gaming consoles with true portability. The only nearly identical thing on the market today is a smartphone, but to play games on a smartphone at the level that the PSP once offered, he almost always needs an attachable controller like the Backbone One.
With a handheld console that you can put in your pocket, Sony could revive a nearly extinct form of console in the gaming market.
I tried PS5’s DualSense and Edge controller to see which is actually better
Sony offers a full-fledged pro controller, but is it worth getting over the regular DualSense? I’ve used both and they break.
2 A new iteration of the PlayStation series
Reduce long wait times between major first-party releases
insomnia
Currently, video games take a long time to develop and are very expensive to produce. It is not uncommon for him to have gaps of five years, and even ten years, between games in a series. The idea that within 10 years he would have four new Grand Theft Auto games released sounds completely alien now, but in the past it was a reality. These long wait times also apply to PlayStation console-only titles.
Marvel’s Spider-Man and God of War were both released in 2018, but neither received a full sequel until 2023 and 2022, respectively. So what does this have to do with the new handheld PlayStation? Over the years, many first-party PlayStation IPs have come to the PSP and PS Vita. God of War in particular has a rich history with the PSP.
Rather than waiting five years for a new first-party title, it’s a much more dialed-back take on the series released for the handheld PlayStation, with just some DLC and maybe a spin-off game in between. Imagine what would happen if a mobile version was released. Considering what handheld gaming consoles can do today, mobile isn’t as limited as inheriting popular series previously seen on handheld gaming consoles like the PSP and Nintendo DS.
As games take more and more time to develop, it makes sense for Sony to create a platform that will house more modest products from its biggest series.
5 reasons why I’m addicted to PlayStation but won’t buy Xbox again
This may be a harsh view, but the console wars are over and PlayStation came out on top for at least five different reasons.
Take advantage of what the Nintendo Switch lacks
If there’s one particular area that the Nintendo Switch lacks, it’s the UI and multimedia experience. Doing anything other than gaming on the Nintendo Switch is a nightmare, but this is an area where Sony has excelled in the past. Both the PSP and PS Vita have great multimedia experiences, and there are many possibilities for how to modernize these features.
Although smartphones have become the default all-in-one device in your pocket, there are still some areas where portable gaming consoles are better. It’s no secret that most people want native His Discord support everywhere, but the handheld PlayStation could go one step further and include a full His Discord app on top of that support.
And that’s just one of the multimedia supports the new handheld PlayStation could offer. Browsing the Internet and playing your favorite movies and shows on your UMD used to be cool, but there are still plenty of ways Sony can modernize the multimedia experience on handheld gaming consoles.
IKEA’s new gaming furniture is colorful and fun
These items are designed to be useful outside of the gaming venue.
Four Publish back catalog
Access to older handheld (and home) PlayStation games
The PlayStation line has been around for nearly 30 years, and as a result there is a large back catalog of PlayStation games. Unfortunately, some of these games are actually quite difficult to play without the original hardware.
Given the current state of technology, it’s safe to say that almost every game up to the PS3, including PSP and PS Vita titles, can be played on the new PlayStation handheld. However, Sony hasn’t had a great track record with backwards compatibility in recent years, and PS3 games are still only available for streaming through the PlayStation Plus subscription.
Imagine what would happen if instead of streaming, Sony offered subscription-based access to classic PlayStation titles on a brand new handheld game console, similar to what Nintendo offers with Nintendo Switch Online . In a particularly bold move, Sony could also develop a new handheld device that can read UMD and PS Vita cartridges.
As a convenient destination for its impressive back catalog of games, Sony could definitely release a new portable PlayStation with these features.
4 reasons why Xbox needs to release a handheld game console now
Xbox has lost the console war, but handheld gaming could be its savior.
Five Expand your PlayStation Portal
PlayStation Portal is a one-trick pony, but it doesn’t have to be
Sony
Rumors have been flying around for quite some time before the release of PlayStation Portal, with some suggesting it could be a new PSP. In hindsight, I realize that wasn’t the case. PlayStation Portal is his PS5 controller with a built-in screen that allows him to mirror his PS5’s display over Wi-Fi. Other than that, there’s nothing particularly noteworthy. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Sony could have released a new portable console with the same streaming capabilities as PlayStation Portal while actually functioning as a standalone console. This is unique in the current gaming landscape, and would have been an interesting way to leverage the hybrid nature of the Nintendo Switch without actually creating a hybrid console.
A handheld PlayStation with streaming capabilities would have been a really appealing concept, and it’s not too late for that to become a reality. Sony may still develop such a device, but only time will tell if it is really interested in re-entering the mobile gaming market.
