Sony has announced Project Q, a new portable PlayStation device arriving later this year. It isn’t the triumphant return of the PlayStation Vita, but it does offer a few more options for enjoying console games beyond your living room couch.
Details on Project Q are currently scarce, but Sony did reveal that the device will have a 8-inch LCD screen with a maximum resolution of 1080p at 60 fps. It will also have all the features of the PlayStation 5’s DualSense wireless controller, such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
However, unlike Sony’s previous handheld console the PlayStation Vita, Project Q won’t be able to run games by itself. Rather, it will allow users to stream games from their PlayStation 5 via Remote Play, meaning they’ll have to actually have one of these historically elusive consoles first. Project Q will also require a high-speed Wi-Fi connection of at least 5Mbps, though a minimum of 15Mbps is recommended. This means you probably won’t be using it to play The Last of Us on the bus — or anywhere outside your home, for that matter.
It’s currently unclear whether you need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your PlayStation 5. Further details on Project Q will be released “in the near future.”
Sony’s new device has a few other restrictions as well. Titles that require any peripherals other than a single standard PlayStation controller won’t be compatible with Project Q, such as PSVR games. You also can’t create a daisy chain by streaming a game to your PlayStation 5 via your PS Plus Premium membership, then streaming that to Project Q. Nice try, though.
Considering Remote Play has already allowed players to stream their PlayStation games to their smartphones for years, Project Q’s primary attraction seems to be the ease its hardware provides. It’s probably easier to use Remote Play with a dedicated screen and attached controls rather than fiddling with touch controls on your smartphone.
Still, the fact that Project Q needs both a PlayStation 5 and a Wi-Fi connection does limit its appeal. There’s been renewed interest in handheld gaming lately thanks to portable devices such as the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and the upcoming ROG Ally. Project Q’s inability to run games by itself unfortunately keeps it excluded from this competition, leaving dedicated PlayStation fans still nursing that big, Vita-shaped hole in their hearts.
