Sony Confirms 'PlayStation Q,' a Handheld Device For Streaming PS5 Games (arstechnica.com) 43
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Amid a plethora of game trailers, Sony dedicated a single minute of its more-than-an-hour-long PlayStation Showcase livestream on Wednesday to reveal two new hardware products. The most buzzworthy of these is surely Project Q -- that's the internal name, as the final name is still pending. Whatever it is called in the future, Project Q confirms a long-standing rumor: It's a new PlayStation handheld.
The device will be focused on streaming; Sony says it will allow users to stream any non-VR game from a local PlayStation 5 console using Remote Play over Wi-Fi. In fact, it won't be able to play games on its own; it's all about the streaming functionality. As for Project Q's specs, it has an 8-inch HD screen and "all the buttons and features of the DualSense wireless controller." Release dates and pricing for these haven't been announced [...]. Ars notes that Sony has been offering Remote Play for a while on other devices. "You can sync a DualSense controller with your macOS, Windows, iOS, or Android device and stream your games over Wi-Fi or the Internet, though the latter is laden with latency challenges."
In addition to Project Q, Sony also announced plans to launch Bluetooth earbuds that can simultaneously connect to a PlayStation console, mobile device, and PCs, similar to AirPods.
The device will be focused on streaming; Sony says it will allow users to stream any non-VR game from a local PlayStation 5 console using Remote Play over Wi-Fi. In fact, it won't be able to play games on its own; it's all about the streaming functionality. As for Project Q's specs, it has an 8-inch HD screen and "all the buttons and features of the DualSense wireless controller." Release dates and pricing for these haven't been announced [...]. Ars notes that Sony has been offering Remote Play for a while on other devices. "You can sync a DualSense controller with your macOS, Windows, iOS, or Android device and stream your games over Wi-Fi or the Internet, though the latter is laden with latency challenges."
In addition to Project Q, Sony also announced plans to launch Bluetooth earbuds that can simultaneously connect to a PlayStation console, mobile device, and PCs, similar to AirPods.
In other words... (Score:2)
Sony is now trying to sell you a screen + wifi + D-pad + battery for a insulting price... which requires you to buy another console + payment for wifi... ...just to play.
Sure, why not? It might be a sales hit! Sure!
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Exactly.
"It's a new Playstation handheld".
No it isn't. It's at best a Wii-U gamepad in a dress. It's not in any meaningful way a handheld gaming system.
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Honest question: What's with the dedicated wifi game-streaming device crap? It's not viable for anything more than playing a game from the couch / bed / toilet, and depending on what your're streaming from chances are good that people already play that way to begin with. Never mind that no-one has ever said: Oh! Let's play the 260FPS 8K timing is everything AAA game on a super small screen with crappy speakers
Re: In other words... (Score:2)
Jailbreak+emulator=SNES handheld.
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ah? what is the price?
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Sounds like you're looking for a Steam Deck [steampowered.com] or that Asus thing [asus.com] they just announced. Basically an ultra-portable notebook in a portable gaming form factor.
I don't call them reasonably priced though. However if you were making the decision between buying an overpriced GPU or an overpriced portable gaming thing, they're about the same.
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Yep, if you want a Steam Deck you basically have to get the top model since it's the only one with the decent glass. ROG Ally is Windows-based, so hell with that. I guess it's the only legal way to take games with kernel-based DRM with you, but no way is it worth the hassle. Maybe if it dual booted.
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Wow they invented a bad Wii U (Score:2)
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A lot of families share the TV with the Playstation 5 connect to it with other people, so you don't always have access to it.
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ok, so here's the question then: which is a better value proposition:
A. buying this thing so you have a tiny screen and a redundant controller to the ones you already have, and another battery draining faster than your existing controllers due to powering a constant wifi two-way signal plus display and video decoding;
B. buying a second smaller TV for less money that is still at least 20x as big as the screen they have on this thing for another room, and just moving the PS5 to that room.
Oops, I think I know
Moving a PS5 or PC back and forth (Score:2)
B. buying a second smaller TV for less money that is still at least 20x as big as the screen they have on this thing for another room, and just moving the PS5 to that room.
I doubt people want to move a PlayStation 5 console back and forth between two rooms any more than they want to move a desktop PC back and forth between the computer desk and the living room to play some indie fighting or party game with same-screen multiplayer.
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Yeah, because unplugging that power and HDMI cable is a real hassle. So instead I'll spend hundreds of dollars to play on a tiny screen with a battery that is going to crap out when I least would like it to, with the added benefit of two-way wifi latency on the control > process > render > display loop.
Re: Wow they invented a bad Wii U (Score:2)
If only there was a device that let you switch video from one output to the other, and if TVs did not cost a king's ransom. One can dream.
Signage displays cost a chunk of change (Score:2)
If only there was a device that let you switch video from one output to the other
What might that be called, sending full HD or 4K video from room to room without having to beg the landlord for permission to pull cable through the walls?
and if TVs did not cost a king's ransom
I've read here on Slashdot that in order to get a TV without "smart" features that surveil your viewing habits and interrupt your experience with ads, you'll need to buy a "signage display." Because there's no ad revenue stream from video programming providers to subsidize a low price, signage displays do actually cost quite a chunk of change according to
Re: Signage displays cost a chunk of change (Score:2)
I'm sure they still sell "dumb" smaller screen TVs at Walmart or the local pharmacy. That's good enough for little Chuckums to play his games on while mommy and daddy watch movies on the big screen.
And running wires can be done just by taping them along the wall's baseboard so there are no holes to be drilled.
Of course, there is the option of just putting the PS5 in the same room as the little TV and just taking all of 5 minutes to carry it from one room to another and hooking it up.
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That's a surprising argument. Most families now, even less well-off ones, have a TV in each member's own bedroom. I thought having only one shared TV for everyone was kind of a 1980s thing.
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Many of my friends with families love the Switch precisely because they can play it in the living room with their family present while not taking over the TV that others might want to watch. Most never take it out of the house and yet the portable feature is frequently used.
They try to sell me on it but not having kids there's no angle on it for me.
It's worse than that (Score:2)
All you get with this is a Wii-U controller.
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I'm often the very opposite. My most common 'gaming setup' is to be lying on the sofa playing Pokemon on the Switch (in handheld mode) or streaming a PS3/4 game to my Vita (or, to be fair, playing one of the incredible Vita games of which there are many) with the TV playing the new YouTube videos for the channels I subscribe to, or stuff like that. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'd definitely be interested in this. I'd also be one of the first to buy it, because that's the model that's most likely to have
Re: commentsubject (Score:2)
And it can't even function as an OTA portable TV set.
I have an idea (Score:1)
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2.4 ghz (Score:2)
I bet this thing will default to 2.4 ghz so it has to compete with every 'smart' bulb and 'smart' toilet bowl scrubber in the house and surrounding neighborhood.
Piling On... (Score:2)
I was really excited to see a new PS Portable with a great screen and controller... then I read it only works tethered with a PS5 and immediately lost interest. Absolutely ZERO interest in such a product. I'm sure it will have some amount of market interest but for the likely price I want a fully functional stand-alone device..
No.
So it's a controller with a screen? (Score:2)
Hey, spend a bunch of money on a PS5, and then spend more money on this fancy controller with a screen on it to be able to play your PlayStation 5 in other rooms of your house with more lag and less screen, all with a battery that's trying to die on you! Don't try taking it with you somewhere though, as that's not likely to work unless you have ubiquitous high-speed wifi wherever you are, an internet connection at home where they don't choke upload bandwidth to ridiculous levels, and a tolerance for contro
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Hey, spend a bunch of money on a PS5, and then spend more money on this fancy controller with a screen on it to be able to play your PlayStation 5 in other rooms of your house with more lag and less screen, all with a battery that's trying to die on you!
I bet it'll cost at least as much as Valve's handheld that can actually play games, too.
A proprietary streaming client. (Score:2)
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More E-waste (Score:2)
Re: More E-waste (Score:2)
Can't use it as a standalone console, little Chuckums gets tired of squinting at graphics designed for a big screen, can't even use it in the car while mommy and daddy take Chuckums to the Behavioral Health Center for his weekly shrink appointment.
This is almost DOA.
Feature Parity (Score:2)
As for those of you bashing the Wii U: fuck off. The Wii U was the best console ever made. If it weren't for the "one man / one woman" prudes who deny our love, I would marry the Wii U.
I will buy this (Score:2)
Whoever is playing won't occupy the living room TV anymore. This is the biggest reason.
I don't know yet how it is going to work, but if it is connecting over the home wi-fi, it will mean I can play from anywhere in the house. I would actually prefer if they connect directly to the console for lower latency and better stability. Maybe it will support both? We will see...