Handheld gaming has had a bit of a renaissance in the last few years, and given the dominance of the Nintendo Switch, it’s no surprise to learn that Sony is planning on reentering the portable market to take on its old console foe. However, while we first thought that the reported PlayStation handheld could be as powerful as a PS5, a new rumor has slightly dampened those expectations.
Reports suggesting a portable PlayStation to rival the picks from our guide to the best handheld consoles first emerged last year, but we haven’t heard much more since. That makes sense, considering the interests of almost the entire gaming industry are currently fixed on the Nintendo Switch 2. However, it looks like someone didn’t get the memo, with a forum post from a leaker offering some fresh information on the Sony handheld.
These new details are courtesy of known leaker KeplerL2 (via NeoGAF), who suggests that the upcoming PlayStation handheld utilizes a 15w SoC on 3nm from AMD. Without getting too bogged down in the technical details, we wouldn’t expect a processor with those specs to be capable of running PS5 titles or even some of the more demanding titles from our list of the best Steam Deck games, so it makes for slightly disappointing reading.
Of course, it’s worth reiterating that these new details are just rumors, and Sony still hasn’t officially confirmed the existence of a future handheld, let alone when it might launch. If it does happen, the handheld would be the first properly portable PlayStation release since the PS Vita arrived in 2011. Yes, there’s the PlayStation Portal, but that’s relatively reliant on either owning a PS5 or cloud streaming; it’s not an out-and-out handheld in the same way that the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Steam Deck OLED are.
@pockettactics We got to check out the #NintendoSwitch2 ahead of its June release date, and this year’s most-anticipated console is well worth the wait 🎮✨
As ever, we’ll keep an eye out for any more details surrounding the prospect of a PlayStation handheld, and hopefully, we’ll get an official reveal from Sony before too long. Still, if you can’t wait around for some fresh tech, you can check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you’re here, with plenty of options to suit all needs and budgets.