Sony is Reportedly Working On PlayStation 5 Handheld

Sony has reportedly started working on a handheld gaming console that would be capable of playing PlayStation 5 games. According to Bloomberg citing sources familiar with the project, Sony intends to compete with Nintendo’s portable consoles, which is something Microsoft wants to do as well as Xbox head Phil Spencer recently confirmed.

Sony’s gaming handheld is “likely years away from launch,” Bloomberg reported, adding that the company may ultimately decide to scrap the project. However, Sony won’t be starting from nothing as it already released two portable consoles with the PS Vita and the PSP.

The PlayStation Portal, which Sony launched as a remote play accessory for PlayStation 5 owners also recently gained the ability to stream select games from the PlayStation Plus library. “Sony initially had intended for it to function as a standalone device like Valve Corp.’s Steam Deck,” Bloomberg heard from its sources.

It’s still not clear how Sony could create a portable console with enough power to run PS5 games and make it affordable. A console like the Nintendo Switch uses a power-efficient ARM-based Nvidia Tegra X1 chip, while most PC gaming handhelds use x86-based AMD Z1 APUs that are more power efficient than the chips powering the PlayStation 5, but still not as powerful.

Microsoft is likely facing the same problem with its Xbox handheld prototypes, even though it may be easier to create a portable Xbox console that matches the specs of the less powerful Xbox Series S. That’s why it will be interesting to see the hardware choices Nintendo made for the successor to the Nintendo Switch, which is set to be revealed before the end of March 2025. Nintendo has pretty much always prioritized the gameplay experience over pure performance, and that’s why the Switch is now on track to become the best-selling console of all time.