Sony reportedly working on new handheld console

TOKYO: Sony is reportedly working on a brand-new handheld console to rival the Nintendo Switch and the previously announced Microsoft project, sources revealed on Monday.

Bloomberg reported that sources close to the development of Sony’s new handheld stated the device is reportedly years away from release and builds upon the PlayStation Portal’s concept. Instead of a remote play device that allows users to play their PlayStation 5 (PS5) games over their home WI-FI network on an eight-inch portable screen, the new handheld is being developed with the goal of playing PS5 games natively. Sources told Bloomberg that the Portal was originally meant to be a console in itself. They also revealed that the new device is years away from release and that plans could still be scrapped.

Sony’s last foray into the market came in 2011, with the release of the PlayStation Vita. Sales estimates for the device range around 15-16 million units sold, meaning it failed to reach the same highs as the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which sold over 80 million units across its various iterations.

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Earlier in November, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer confirmed plans that the company is pursuing their own handheld system. Similar to Sony, their project is also years away, and hopes to capture a part of the handheld market which brings in the majority of the industry’s revenue through games on smartphones.

Both Sony’s and Microsoft’s future devices will be pit against the already established and successful Nintendo Switch, which has sold over 146 million unites. Rumour has it that the successor to Nintendo’s 2017 console, which was met with high praise for allowing both play on the TV and on the go in its handheld mode, will be released in 2025.

The PC market has also ventured into the world of handheld gaming with Valve Corporation releasing the Steam Deck in 2022 to critical acclaim. Following in their footsteps, Asus, Lenovo, Logitech, and Ayaneo all released their own handheld PC gaming devices in recent years.

With all the major players in the video game industry delving into the mobile gaming market, it was only a matter of time before Sony followed suit. Especially considering their past ventures into the market, and their more recent pseudo-handheld, the PlayStation Portable, which reportedly sold between 420,000 and 630,000 units since its release in November 2023, despite its $200 price tag and the fact that it can’t play games natively.  

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