Will the PlayStation Portable make a return soon?

WEB DESK: Sony, who have delved into the handheld gaming market a plethora of times, may be inclined to do so again after Microsoft’s Phil Spencer announced on Wednesday that the company is pursuing their own handheld system.

THE HANDHELD MARKET

Sony are no stranger when it comes to the handheld market. Beginning in 2004 in Japan, and 2005 in North America, Sony released the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The system, which was a direct competitor to the Nintendo DS, was an extremely successful outing for Sony, even if it didn’t quite match the sales of their rival. Over the 10 years the PSP was in production, its various iterations sold over 80 million units.

The PlayStation Vita, which released in 2011, didn’t match Sony’s previous outing’s success, with sales estimates ranging around 15 to 16 million units sold. However, Nintendo proved that the handheld market is still going strong with the release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017.

The innovative device, which allowed users to switch between portable and TV use, has sold over 146 million units as of September 2024. The system’s success has led even PC gaming companies, such as Valve Corporation, known for their video game digital distribution service Steam, to take a foray into the world of handheld gaming. Released in early 2022, Valve’s Steam Deck received critical acclaim for providing users with an incredible PC gaming experience on the go.

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The Steam Deck’s release and subsequent success prompted other competitors in the PC market to try their hand at handheld gaming. Asus, Lenovo, Logitech, and Ayaneo are a few of the names who have made their own handheld PC gaming devices in recent years.

THE FUTURE

Microsoft are set to release their own handheld in the future, with a recent interview with the CEO of Microsoft gaming, Phil Spencer, revealing that the company is working on a portable system, but that it is still “years away.” According to Spencer, the project is in its early stages, and the team is exploring what capabilities such a device may have.

Sony themselves made a pseudo-handheld gaming system called the PlayStation Portal. The system is a remote player, that allows users who have a PlayStation 5 to play their games over their home Wi-Fi, removing the need to play on the TV. Despite not being a true handheld system, and having a price tag of $200, it is estimated to have sold between 420,000 and 630,000 units since its release in November 2023.

With Sony seeing the demand for a portable gaming experience first-hand, as well as witnessing the success of all their competitors ventures in the market, they may announce their own plans to create a brand-new system very soon. And due to its success in the past, Sony may opt to stick to their tried and true PlayStation Portable branding.

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