• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Do you think that Sony should make a proper handheld instead of screwing around with this glorified remote play accessory?

Should they make a full-fledged handheld?

  • Yeah

    Votes: 93 36.8%

  • No

    Votes: 129 51.0%

  • Idk, but I would sure go for some cocoa puffs right about now

    Votes: 31 12.3%
  • Total voters
    253
Drizzlehell

Drizzlehell

Banned
I recently started discovering PS Vita and I kinda regret not doing it earlier, when you could actually accessorize it with other Sony platforms and half of its apps weren't dead. Honestly it's a pretty great handheld in terms of hardware and design, and I'm guessing that the reason why it failed was due to piss poor software support and the fact that it came out at a time when handhelds were on a decline and there was barely any interest in that market. Probably because it was dominated by mobile games or some other stupid shit.

But now when handhelds seem to be popular again and you can't swing your dick around without bumping into someone with a Steam Deck or some other third-party Windows or Linux based portable system, Sony has a real opportunity to make an updated version of Vita and give it proper support this time. I'm kinda miffed that they're going with this remote play crap because it seems pretty tacky and unnecessary, considering that there are already plenty of options out there to use remote play on various devices. Why not make a proper handheld instead, have some decent first party games on it and open up the library of backwards compatible titles from Vita, PSP, PSOne, and hell maybe even emulate some PS2 games on it too. Vita couldn't do it but with modern tech it should be super easy.
 
Mr.Phoenix

Mr.Phoenix

Member
Why does Sony even need a handheld?

I actually like the idea of a remote play-focused device. Especially if they do something that cost no more than $150. It would be nice having a device you just pair to your console then use anywhere you want.

Simply do not see the sense in them making a dedicated handheld device with its own library.
 
Last edited:
Happosai

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
That be tough. Steamdeck on one hand and Switch in Nintendo's court. Post PSP no...not really. PS4 or 5.
 
Last edited:
Agent X

Agent X

Member
I'd like to see a new portable from Sony, for sure. It needs to have some sort of compatibility with some of their earlier systems.

It's unlikely that they could shrink down the PS5 anytime soon , but I wonder if they could miniaturize the PS4 chipset by now? If they can't manage that, then I'd be fine with a "super" version of the PS Vita, that could play PS1, PSP, and Vita games...and perhaps PS2 games also.
 
Danjin44

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Maybe you haven't notice but Sony this gen it much more focus on western games and majority of western devs dont care about making games for handheld.

In fact one of the reason Vita started to fail because Sony stopped supporting the system and just became bad port machine for PS3 games.
 
Oppoi

Oppoi

Member
What games would they have for it though? What the have right now is games that even PC gamers cry for. It would be pointless for them to brach out into that territory now just because of others.
 
Crayon

Crayon

Member
Either the streaming thing or nothing at all. A handheld is going to require it's own set of games. They are doing alright with a flow of quality games for ps5 and psvr2. Idk if taking on a third platform is a good idea.

A bespoke handheld for streaming is going to be more appealing than using ones phone, btw.
 
Kdad

Kdad

Member
Nope...SONY needs to concentrate on their strength and that is their console...whenever the try to juggle multiple they half ass the support way too soon after release.
 
Gambit2483

Gambit2483

Member
Not if they are going to under-support it and eventually shelf it...which they absolutely will do. So no, no they shouldn't.
 
The Fuzz damn you!

The Fuzz damn you!

Gold Member
Personally, I’d like one, Doesn’t make sense for Sony though. Even if it sells, Sony needs to consider whether people would play games on the thing as well as playing on their PS5, or instead of playing on their PS5. If the former, then it becomes a potential additional source of revenue. If the latter, which I would guess would be the case, there is limited scope for increased revenue through game sales, which is where they make their money.

A remote play thingy, on the other hand, has the potential to increase overall engagement by increasing the number of opportunities to play, thereby increasing the rate at which their user base burns through their catalogue and encouraging further game sales.
 
Captain Toad

Captain Toad

Banned
Unknown? said:
Yeah but touch screens suck, a phone is terrible for that unless it's some sort of attachment it can plug into
Click to expand...
w8MRZ9M.jpg

rPvlXyP.jpg
 
Last edited:
Zannegan

Zannegan

Member
Right now? No.

If they ever had one within spitting distance of the PS5 and were willing to let their dev teams essentially stay at PS5-level for another generation (Wii U -> Switch style, only moreso), then it could work without splitting up their dev resources, which is the biggest risk of introducing a handheld.

I really don't see that happening or playing too well with Sony's core audience if it did. Who knows, though? Maybe if diminishing returns really becomes a thing for the masses. Of course, by that point, a 5G streaming handheld could be the "good enough" solution for those masses, so... probably not. I honestly see them going full cloud before trying to transition to a hybrid form factor.
 
kubricks

kubricks

Member
A dedicated remote play device has no market.
A dedicated handheld will not work, as people will "unreasonably" expect PS5 graphics on the little thing, and Sony will give it up before the 3rd party did just like what happened to the Vita.

So no, don't even bother.
 
StereoVsn

StereoVsn

Member
Personally I would love a handheld that could play PS4 games natively as well as PS1, PSP, PS2, PS Vita (hah) and even PS3 games.

The new AMD APUs even make this somewhat possible. The issue is price. Sony would need to price the thing at $500+ and that's just not going to fly.
 
Mokus

Mokus

Member
I would have liked a Vita successor, but it's kinda late for that. Sony should have done it shortly after the Vita discontinuation so they could build on the previous customers loyalty. Now it would be much harder and expensive considering they lost some trust too with how they handled the Vita.

Just think, unlike PS3, Vita was a good hardware to develop for out of the gate. Yet Sony messed it up with everything else, just because they didn't have fate in the handheld market.

Now, that they are heavily invested in the VR market I think it would be a bad idea.
 
Fbh

Fbh

Member
No thx.
We are finally moving past cross gen, I don't want Sony wasting resources making games for a ps4 tier handheld.

If you want Ps4 era games on the go just buy a Steam Deck.
 
Ansphn

Ansphn

Member
They should not waste their time on a handheld. RemotePlay is getting better and better everytime I use it. I just spend 4 hours playing Jedi Survivor via remote play after Playing it for 6 hours on the PS5. My schedule is play it on the PS5 in the office during the day and continue at night in my bed with RemotePlay. The visual look very very good and if they can do 60 + 4k..boy they don't need a handheld ever again.
 
CamHostage

CamHostage

Member
I mean, I'd love it myself if PlayStation did another full-scale portable since I heavily skew my gaming towards handheld devices, but all of the market conditions and all of the history of and since PS Vita makes it clear why it's a cloudy idea and Sony probably won't do it.

A PS Streaming Player, that's something I personally wanted years ago and now am not so sure on, but at least I get how they'd position it as a product, if priced right.


Mr.Phoenix said:
I actually like the idea of a remote play-focused device. Especially if they do something that cost no more than $150. It would be nice having a device you just pair to your console then use anywhere you want.
Click to expand...

Price is of course a key factor.

If they brought a new $400 device to market and tried to convince you that this wouldn't be like last time or any of the other peripherals you bought for PlayStation, they'd have a hard time of it.

If however it was super-affordable and was clear from the jump that this is just an accessory to enjoy more PlayStation gaming in different places (or to perhaps enhance your own PS5 gameplay, which is possible with a screen, although neither PS Vita or Wii U really made a convincing argument of that being how gamers want to play,) then it'd be a smoother sale. A DualSense with a screen, that's still a weird idea that would have its challenges in convincing gamers of its necessity, but at least that's a clearer concept than a third PSP that's just a shell and has no real new games for it.
 
Last edited:
CamHostage

CamHostage

Member
nial said:
Team Asobi, Guerrilla, Firesprite, San Diego Studio and Bungie all have separate teams working on mobile exclusive games, so those "waste of resources" are already happening.
Edit: Team Asobi is collaborating with an external studio for that mobile game, but still.
Click to expand...

Of what we know of those projects, they are not the big-scale main focus of any of these teams, and some are combined projects integrated into the main development. So so, me second-screen experience for the next Asobi game, a mobile port of Horizon Online, probably a mobile version of MLB The Show to go along with Switch and Xbox versions (still no PC though?!), a Netease spin-off of Destiny for the Chinese market, and then whatever Firesprite is doing... none of that reads to be on the platform-foundational support level of production that these teams would have been committed to if there was a PSP3 on the market today.

But also... are mobile games what PlayStation fans want in a new portable?

And also, no PS Vita or even PSP game has earned a billion dollars. That's the market mobile projects shoot for as they troll for whales, and very few of them hook that, but $Bs are why they Sony is putting a "waste of resources" into developing mobile projects.
 
CamHostage

CamHostage

Member
Agent X said:
I'd like to see a new portable from Sony, for sure. It needs to have some sort of compatibility with some of their earlier systems.... If they can't manage that, then I'd be fine with a "super" version of the PS Vita, that could play PS1, PSP, and Vita games...and perhaps PS2 games also.
Click to expand...

It'd be so damned nice if Sony released a "retro" console in portable form to celebrate its immense library, but...

Signs point to them not being excited for that retro market anymore, for whatever reason. Sony has made virtually no attempts to integrate retro console support into the PS5 catalog, and rumors of any changes to that plan have gone silent since launch. They have let the PS Classics library tap run dry; even the PS Now streaming system has seemingly given up on old games despite that being an easy way to plug classics back into the market. They pulled the PSP/PSV/PS3 libraries from the store despite still having them on the servers.

Even if retro games were a big selling point of this PS Remote Play Portable thingy, an about-face now would not only be unexpected, but it would be systematically challenging after products have been delisted, and also it would be commercially confusing since a lot of gamers would say, "That's nice and all, but put all this on the damned PS5 too where it should have been in the first place..."
 
GHound

GHound

Member
Spend an unknown amount (likely $129+) on a "remote play handheld" that is worthless for anything else or download the app for free and buy a $10-15 phone clip for my controller? No way.

Would also rather travel with and play on a dedicated handheld than a device that requires a consistent network connection without slowdowns and doesn't become a paperweight the instant there's no internet.
Or the power goes out at home
Or the internet goes out at home.

I'd rather see Sony try to make a new handheld and fail miserably than make something more pointless than a PS Classic.
 
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
A different SKU? No.

That'd be like a Series S that only stifle and distract first- and third-party developers.

Instead, they should release their Remote Play handheld device but make sure that it seamlessly integrates with PS Plus Streaming and has the capability for PS+ Premium cloud streaming.

Without Cloud streaming support, it'd not be worth it. With Cloud gaming support, however, they can make inroads in the Japanese market again and set a foundation of a future that may rely heavily on Cloud gaming.
 
SeraphJan

SeraphJan

Member
AFAIK, many people prefer to use handheld at home instead on their way to work, the remote play accessory perfectly fits that niche without much investment, its a smart move.
 
Robb

Robb

Gold Member
I wouldn’t mind a new attempt at a handheld, they’ve all been pretty darn great. But I don’t think it’d be a smart move on Sony’s part.
 
Last edited:
P

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Unknown? said:
None of those are really good though.
Click to expand...
On top of it people are discovering that wrecking their phone’s battery life leaves them without tons of other critical tools (for their daily life like their digital wallet/Apple Pay/PayPal, etc… docs, phone and WhatsApp communication apps, etc…) as phones nowadays do not have an enormous battery life and people do not want to be without their phone ever.
 
CamHostage

CamHostage

Member
Drizzlehell said:
...But now when handhelds seem to be popular again and you can't swing your dick around without bumping into someone with a Steam Deck or some other third-party Windows or Linux based portable system, Sony has a real opportunity to make an updated version of Vita and give it proper support this time.
Click to expand...

Singling out this portion of the OP since it hasn't been addressed much, but I'm not sure how we can expect they could give a new portable "proper support" this time?

Gamers are already complaining about underwhelming support of their one and only PlayStation machine on the market right now; people have been wanting more and bigger Sony-produced PS5 games since launch, but we haven't even had a Showcase of titles to come in almost 2 years. (And best not to get too heated over their PSVR2 support, which so far has been one original game, a VR mode of GT7, and an update to Firewall, with nothing so far announced past launch and no additional patches of their non-VR games.) They shuttered Japan Studio, they've drawn way back on non-AAA production or indie support, they've seemingly stopped making franchise spin-off games like Motorstorm RC or Uncharted: Fight for Fortune or Shadow of the Beast. It's just tough to see Sony having extra time at its studios to make more games when not enough of the games they're making right now are reaching market on time.

And when you mention the portable boom going on elsewhere, it must be acknowledged that there's no "proper support" from those companies either. Valve's not making new games for Steam Deck, nor will ASUS be doing that or Ayn or Anbernic or any of these other portable hardware producers. These machines are made to feed off of the existing PC or Android gaming markets.

The only company with the bandwidth to give "proper support" to its portable is Nintendo, but even Nintendo isn't operating at the capacity it used to. They ain't got a "third pillar" anymore; they don't even have a second pillar right now. They tried the mobile market and didn't succeed there much, and there's no new Game Boy or DS happening. Nintendo is also not making the smaller games it used to when it had two platforms at a time; Switch is a massive success, but I would bet if you do the math it gets fewer Nintendo-made games per year than Wii U + 3DS combined in their day. There's no NES Remix, no Dillon's Rolling Western, no Mario Minis. A lot of that indie-level or B-team experimentation with major IP just dried up everywhere.

If a third PlayStation Portable had no chance of getting like a Killzone Mercenaries or a GTA Stories sequel because few publishers are making those types of games anymore, then support could never even come close to matching the frustrating support level of PS Vita, much less come to any level of "proper support".
 
R

reksveks

Member
Probably not for Sony.

With the series s, xbox does at least have a general profile to try and emulate with a handheld in the future.

I just hope the Sony handheld isn't completely locked down but think it will be.
 
M

Madserb2023

Member
If there was a way to connect it via a HDMI and use it as a second screen without the need for the WIFI then it might be OK because at least you get really good image quality. I would rather that to it being streamed. It will be terrible.
 
C

crackajack

Member
It's probably already too late for a PS4P. Could have been a nice device if launched alongside or even before the PS5, as an entirely reworked Vita. PS4 games were already 540p compatible due to Vita, so making downgraded ports should have been quite easy.
It's too early for a PS5P on the otehr hand. MS has a XSS which may be a bit closer to what a possible handheld can do, but Sony commited to cross plattform for a while but now transitions to proper PS5 only, which is too much for a handheld. Once 2070 as minimum PC requirement gets standard I doubt Steamdeck will do the job.
Just better more efficient remote play, Plus stream or your own console, via mobile phone or whatever is probably the non risky solution.
 
FingerBang

FingerBang

Member
Do I want one? Fuck yes, I wish! Bla bla bla Vita amazing, was there on day one.

But should they now? No. Unless they could make something able to run current-gen games, nope. It makes no sense. Not even Nintendo should make handhelds anymore. The Steam Deck-likes are the only way forward that makes sense.
 
GreatnessRD

GreatnessRD

Member
No. Sony has proven time and again they don't really care about the handheld market. They left the Vita to die a lonely death. Just keep pumping out console stuff and bring the full library to PC.

P.S - And stop being bitch asses when it comes to Call of Casual, Sony. <3
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

[Stephen Totilo] Exclusive: The making of the PlayStation Portal
News Platform
10
904
ChorizoPicozo replied
Devil's advocate: A Sony Cloud/Remote Play handheld could eliminate Vita's biggest flaw
Opinion Clickbait
25
1K
UnNamed replied
Sooo, What's The Point Of Sony's Project Q?
Opinion News Hardware 2 3 4
168
9K
feynoob replied
  • Poll
[The Verge] It’s time for Microsoft to build an Xbox Steam Deck
2 3 4
184
10K
SHA replied
How many threads do we have to make before Sony finally takes note and re-releases Killzone games for PS5?
2 3 4
169
6K
coffinbirth replied
Top Bottom