Did they not learn after the Vita’s demise. Sony is going to put the PlayStation back on the portable market as they unveiled Project X, a Nintendo Switch-copycat of PlayStation, at the 2023 PlayStation showcase.
I don’t hate the idea of a Nintendo Switch PlayStation, but I also don’t love it.
Sony has decided that four years without a new Vita in our lives was just four years too many as they unveiled a Nintendo Switch/cloud service-esque handheld gaming device internally known as “Project Q” to the broad PlayStation gaming community to continue the legacy of the Vita. And, I’ve got to say I’m pretty torn about this new “console”.
A new handheld PlayStation console. I guess we all really should have seen this coming with how popular the Nintendo Switch is, and how untimely the demise of the PS Vita was for Sony and PlayStation.
So, just to recap what this new console entails, Project Q will be a handheld, portable, PlayStation console with an 8-inch, HD screen, all the controls of the Dual Sense Edge controller, the ability to access every single game title on the PlayStation store, and it utilizes a Wi-Fi-based streaming service connection to your own PS5 to operate.
Sounds pretty neat…kind of.
On the one hand, having a portable PlayStation console is actually a good idea in my humble opinion as it not only allows us gamers the ability to transport and play all of our favorite PS5 games anywhere we wish, such as on vacation, work retreat, school retreat, traveling, etc. to without having to lug around the heavy console, but it also broadens the market for handheld gaming devices.
Perhaps I’m missing a device, but the only major, portable gaming device on the market right now is Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch and Valve’s Steam Deck (essentially, Steam in a Nintendo Switch), which is obviously a pretty small list.
So, being able to play and save progress from PlayStation Exclusive games, such as God of War, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tushima, Demon Soul’s Death Stranding, Bloodborne, Stray, etc., while on the go and adding competition to a very select market is a fantastic idea by Sony. Obviously, that’s not where I have my issue with this game.
It’s the Wi-Fi reliance.
I may have completely misunderstood what Jim Ryan, the President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (aka: the big boss of PlayStation), was saying when he presented the Project Q console, but I’m almost positive he said that the handheld would require a Wi-Fi connection with your PS5 at home to be able to operate.
(Sony/PlayStation-Sony Interactive Entertainment-PlayStation Showcase 2023)
By using “Remote Play”, which is the term he said would connect Project X and your PS5, you will be able stream your entire PS5 device onto the Project Q handhold so long as you’re connected to the internet and/or a Wi-Fi source. Even if you’re travelling, abroad, not at home, etc.
Do you see how that’s a problem?
I really hope I’m misunderstanding the design behind this console, but it sounds like we have to leave our PlayStations on after we leave our homes and have to connect to our home Wi-Fi source (where the PS5 is also connected) to be able to operate the device. Or does it he mean that this device will synchronously turn on our PS5s when we turn it on, and it automatically connects to our Wi-Fi (if that’s even possible)?
If either of those statements are true, doesn’t that negate the entire point of a handheld device? Isn’t this device supposed to substitute our need for a PS5 while away from home, not blatantly require us to use it? What if I can’t connect to the internet because I’m…I don’t know…travelling?!?!?! Will this device not work at all?
The little on-screen trailer also said that games must be downloaded onto our PS5s in order to play them on the Project X device, which is yet another reliance on the main console. You can buy games at will on the Switch and Steam Deck, so why do you have to purchase a game and then download it onto the PS5 to be able to play it on the Project X.
Yes, I know it’s because of the cloud gaming service component, but that’s where I’m also confused with this console. Is it actually a handheld console or is it a smaller version of a cloud gaming service? If it’s the latter, then I’m just going to stick with my PC and play games through Steam, Epic Games, Xbox Game Pass, and NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW.
Or I’ll play my non-internet required Nintendo games on the Switch.
We’ll have to wait and see what this console really ends up being, but I’m not liking the introduction of this thing so far.
Images Source: Featured Image: (Sony/PlayStation) (PlayStation Showcase 2023 | [ENGLISH] – YouTube)
In Text Image 1: (Sony/PlayStation) (PlayStation Showcase 2023 | [ENGLISH] – YouTube)
