We were one of the first to start reporting on the development of a new 5G PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2018, and rumors and speculation have piled up since then – although the handheld console has yet to. been officially confirmed by Sony.
Sony surely must have noted the huge success of the Nintendo Switch, a fantastic handheld console that has since been joined by a Switch Lite version – these handhelds have flown off the shelves, showing there is a market for them. .
You’re the perfect place to learn all about the PSP 5G rumors here: We’ve rounded up everything we’ve heard so far about the next-gen PlayStation Portable, from when we might see it launch, all the way through. ‘to the kind of design and internal specifications it could provide.
Sony PSP 5G: release date and price
One of the reasons Sony has been in the mobile phone business for so long is that it wants to “develop 5G as a skill that can be used across the Sony group” – in Sony’s words. same – and we can’t think of a better application of this 5G experience than in a handheld console.
With the PlayStation 5 now available globally, there’s no reason Sony couldn’t release a smaller companion device, undoubtedly offering tight integration with the main console. It could easily be tied to the PS Now game streaming service, giving the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S even more problems in terms of trying to gain market share from Sony.
In other words: the PSP 5G could launch at any time, although we would expect a few more leaks and whispers before it’s actually unveiled for real. It should be borne in mind that the original PlayStation Portable launched at the end of 2004 and the PS Vita handheld launched at the end of 2011 – a gap of seven years. There wasn’t a new handheld in 2018, so we’re now way behind schedule … and when it does, remember we were the first to start reporting on it.
We haven’t heard anything specific about pricing yet, but the PS Vita started at £ 230 / $ 250 / AU $ 350 all those years ago. Perhaps a better indication of what the PSP 5G might cost can be found in the price of the Nintendo Switch: yours for £ 280 / $ 300 / AU $ 410. We would expect a Sony handheld console to be a bit more premium in terms of internal specs and external materials, so we might see something slightly above that price – strong Switch sales suggest gamers could. pay a little. After.
Sony PSP 5G: design
When it comes to the design of the PlayStation Portable 5G, we didn’t see any leaked images of the actual product – but we were able to get our hands on some concept videos like the one put together by PHConcepts (which we have embedded below). It’s certainly a stylish concept, and we’d be very impressed if Sony managed to come up with something so beautiful.
The device is very slim, with a triple-lens rear camera on the back, and all the usual analog buttons and sticks you know from the DualShock and DualSense controllers that Sony put in place with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. There is an attractive matte black textured finish, as well as trigger buttons on the edges of the PSP 5G for more intuitive gameplay. It’s actually quite phone-like and we’re big fans.
It looks like the 5G PlayStation Portable can support game cartridges, at least based on a recently filed patent. This follows another 2015 Sony patent for a Nintendo Switch-style device, so it looks like the next handheld is pretty conventional in terms of aesthetics. As of yet, we haven’t heard anything about the dockable console so you can play on the big screen, but we wouldn’t be surprised if that was included as well.
To a certain extent, there are only a few ways to design a portable game console, and we think the 6.2-inch LCD screen sported by the Nintendo Switch is probably a good guide to what the PSP looks like. 5G will bring. It should be borne in mind that there is also a Nintendo Switch Pro on the horizon (most likely), with which the PSP 5G could compete in terms of specs and features – this Pro model is expected to come with a 1440p resolution screen, so the PSP 5G could follow suit.
Sony PSP 5G: specifications
It’s worth remembering that 5G connectivity and advancements in game streaming technologies mean that the components of the 5G PlayStation Portable wouldn’t necessarily have to be top notch – gamers could log into PS Now or stream games directly. from their PlayStation 5, after logging in. their Sony account. That said, it’s almost certain that the handheld will have some sort of local gaming support as well, so it’s going to have to be a relatively powerful gadget.
5G will of course be one of the central specs – the next-gen portable PlayStation won’t just settle for old Wi-Fi. Sony has in fact publicly stated that it wants to combine 5G and gaming technology – it doesn’t. Didn’t specifically mention the PSP 5G by name, but the PlayStation 5 doesn’t really need a super-fast cellular connection, so draw your own conclusions.
We know Sony has the expertise in electronics, from displays to camera sensors, but it’s unclear how that will translate to the specifications of the Sony PSP 5G. Could the same Snapdragon 888 processor that is inside the Sony Xperia 1 III phone work? It definitely supports 5G. Whatever specs the handheld comes in when it arrives, we’re sure games will look crisp, crisp, and smooth whether they’re run from a game cartridge or a cloud server.
Patents have emerged that mention Sony’s interest in “scalable game console CPU / GPU design”, which may well be scaled back for something like the PSP 5G – processing power that adapts to the situation. . A powerful GPU will obviously be a must for a device like this, so expect to hear more about what kind of specs the PSP 5G is likely to deliver in the coming months.