Project Q, Sony’s latest handheld gaming device, was announced at the PlayStation Showcase event, held early Thursday. Unlike other handhelds like the Steam Deck, the PS device will let you stream games from your PS5 console via Remote Play or Wi-Fi. It comes with an 8-inch 1080p LCD screen in the centre, supported by the handle parts of the DualSense controllers on either side, sporting similar buttons and analogue sticks. It’s basically what you’d get if you were to grind off the central portion of your controller and place a screen in the middle. Project Q is eyeing a launch sometime later this year.
“At PlayStation, innovation is our passion,” Jim Ryan, CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) said during the event. “And that applies to not just what games you play, but how you play them.” A press release claims that Project Q is capable of running any PS5 game at 1080p 60fps and comes with all the features of a DualSense controller, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. It is designed as a companion for your PS5, rather than a device that could run games natively akin to the Steam Deck or the upcoming ASUS ROG Ally. Without native gaming support like in PlayStation’s earlier handhelds (the PSP and the PS Vita), the upcoming device serves a very specific function — the games you could play upstairs on a giant TV can now be played downstairs on a smaller screen, as long as you have a solid wireless connection. The handheld essentially is a dedicated replacement for current Remote Play options on mobiles and tablets. There are no details on whether the handheld can be used outdoors since PS’ Remote Play doesn’t support connections over cellular data.
Currently, there is no word on support for cloud gaming, albeit recent job listings for the branch hint towards a potential feature later on. The announcement comes in the wake of rumours regarding a PlayStation handheld device, which also mentioned the 8-inch display to be a touchscreen — no word official word on that from PlayStation yet. In recent times, more companies have been looking to expand into the handheld gaming market, as the Nintendo Switch hardware continues to age. Earlier this week, Sony also launched its Backbone One mobile controller on Android, letting you run PlayStation games via the Remote Play app, in addition to some native titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Mobile. Needless to say, the existing Remote Play app makes Project Q appear a bit redundant — that is unless Sony has some killer hardware configuration to back it up.
At the PlayStation Showcase, Ryan also announced a pair of PlayStation wireless earbuds, designed to bring ‘next-generation audio immersion’ to the PS5, PC, and even smartphones via Bluetooth. They’re also planned for launch later this year, and boast ‘new wireless technology developed by SIE,’ in addition to promising lossless audio with low latency. Further details on the same will be announced in the coming months.
Both Project Q and PlayStation’s wireless earbuds are slated for release sometime later this year. Currently, there are no price or in-depth hardware details for either gadget.