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Insider reinforces Sony PlayStation handheld rumor

Digital Foundry's John Linneman says PlayStation handheld prototypes may already be out there (Image source: Sony - edited)
Digital Foundry's John Linneman says PlayStation handheld prototypes may already be out there (Image source: Sony - edited)
A recent report from Bloomberg claimed that Sony is currently working on a PlayStation gaming handheld that can locally play PS5 games, and this report has now been backed up by Digital Foundry.

Sony is reportedly planning to launch a PlayStation gaming handheld that can locally play PS5 titles. This report came from Bloomberg, and Digital Foundry has backed it up, with John Linneman saying that the team actually heard about the device well before Bloomberg's report.

The insider adds that Digital Foundry is "not in the business of leaking things," which is why they didn't talk about it before. However, now that the rumor has reached the public, John Linneman adds a little more to what the report shared. Linneman reflected on the specifics shared by the Bloomberg report and noted that the PlayStation handheld might be further away from release than he initially thought.

To look back, Sony's PlayStation Portal, which is a game streaming handheld, was in the works years before it was released. More specifically, patents around it suggest that the device has been in the works since 2017, but Sony released it in 2023. As for the upcoming gaming handheld, it's believed not to launch during the PS5 era, but Digital Foundry's John Linneman says that early prototypes may already be out in the wild.

But then again, as Bloomberg's report noted, Sony can pull the plug on this gaming handheld long before its projected release timeline. This has a high possibility because, besides the technical constraints, developer support will play a crucial part, and optimizing the PS5 games for a low-power system will be a big challenge.

Looking back, the PlayStation Portal was also originally believed to be a standalone device similar to the Legion Go (curr. $484.99 on Amazon), Switch, and Steam Deck. However, it turned out to be something that only streams PS5 games. If Sony indeed pulls the plug on the rumored standalone gaming handheld, it could possibly end up as Portal's successor.

Source(s)

Digital Foundry (video embedded above) via: GameRant

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Abid Ahsan Shanto, 2024-12- 3 (Update: 2024-12- 3)