Sony has announced Project Q, which is expected to arrive later this year. What is known about the new handheld?
The Project Q handheld from Sony is real. It was confirmed at the State of Play in May 2023, a broadcast hosted by Sony, where you can learn about the news planned by the company.
Portable consoles are becoming increasingly popular, and there are really a lot on the market. Some are actually portable computers, such as the Asus ROG Ally, and Ayaneo 2S. There are also devices that allow cloud gaming – Logitech G Cloud and Razer Edge – Sony decided to present its own device in this category – Sony Project Q.
Speculation on specs, price and more
The device allows you to stream any game from your PS5 console using remote play over WiFi. Project Q will retain all DualSense features, such as haptics, for example. The console was officially announced after there were a lot of leaks about its positioning.
Earlier unofficial information stated that the handheld could only function as a DualSense controller with a sizable display with the ability to stream games from PlayStation 5 via Remote Play. With the official announcement, one can delve into many aspects of the new console.
How much will the handheld cost?
According to current reports, Sony Project Q may retail for around $200. This information comes from Tom Henderson’s appearance on the Iron Lord podcast.
Looking at the competition, the Logitech G-Cloud has a relatively high price tag of $349.99. For a handheld that aims to be a cloud-based device, one hopes Sony will look at Abxylute for inspiration.
The aforementioned console costs $229 at launch and is even cheaper on Kickstarter. One can consider that $200 would be a really good price for Sony’s new handheld.
When will Project Q be released?
Tom Henderson believes that Sony Project Q could debut in the fourth quarter of 2023, which correlates with earlier reports. Previously, Henderson claimed that the console could be released around November 2023 in an Iron Lord podcast.
Current speculation is that Sony wants to release the handheld alongside the PlayStation 5 Slim, which has already been rumored, in order to refresh the product lineup ahead of the inevitable release of the PS5 Pro. However, we still have to wait for official information at this point.
Console specifications
Sony’s Project Q specs are assumed to be in line with cheaper consoles on the market. Devices like the Logitech G-Cloud and the console from Abxylute are equipped with ultra-low-power SoCs that are designed for video streaming, not local gaming.
The only cloud console released so far with any local gaming capability is the Razer Edge, which is the exception in this group.
Processor
Sony is unlikely to try to save money here, but you can’t expect high levels of power. The console will be closer in this aspect to the Logitech G-Cloud than the Razer Edge. Considering that the Abxylute is capable of delivering smooth cloud gameplay at 60 frames and 1080p, you can see that the price doesn’t have to be exorbitant to make gameplay enjoyable.
Abxylute runs on the MT8365 processor, which was released in 2021. It can support DDR4 RAM, as well as eMMC storage. Although there is a good chance that the console from Sony will have 4 GB of ram, Project Q may surprise with a more powerful specification in other aspects.
The biggest criticism of the Logitech and Abxylute devices has been the Android-based system. A device with such a low specification has trouble delivering the smooth experience known from better phones. The system can stutter and lag, but the problems disappear when the streaming app is launched.
Screen
Sony has confirmed that the handheld will feature an 8-inch 1080 screen with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This is in line with earlier information that appeared online. The display technology is said to be a regular LCD with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Other streaming services on Project Q
According to reports, Project Q will not support other streaming services out of the box. It is also unclear what operating system the console will support. Suppositions lead to the fact that it will be based on Android, which other Sony devices use – however, it may instead use a PS5 operating system bifurcation or something completely new.
If the company decides to implement the PlayStation 5’s familiar FreeBSD into Project Q, it could slow down users who want to crack the console for use with other platforms. However, if it comes with an included web browser, it could be an opportunity for other platforms that enable cloud gaming.