Sony’s new handheld is a Wii U tablet?

It’s been nearly a decade since Sony “unofficially” dropped first party support for the Vita. Since then, a lot has changed in the handheld market. The Nintendo Switch has soared to become the third best selling video game system of all time. Meanwhile, Valve has released their first ever premium portable to rave reviews. So many fans have been wondering if it’s finally time for another PlayStation Portable. Well, it seems they might actually be getting their wish, sort of. As one Redditor put it, the monkey’s paw finger curls.

The initial report came from Insider Gaming, claiming that a new PlayStation handheld, codenamed Q Lite, is indeed in development. Fans had been hoping for a dedicated portable. Perhaps one that could natively play digital PlayStation 4 titles. Which is indeed doable with current hardware. However, that’s not at all what Q Lite is. Rather it’s designed entirely around Remote Play, allowing players to stream their PS5 games to the device’s screen. In other words, it’s basically Sony’s take on the Wii U tablet controller.

If it’s real, and as a reminder all rumours should be taken with a hefty grain of salt, this would definitely be one of the strangest devices Sony has ever put out. If it were something like the Logitech G Stream, where you could stream PlayStation Now titles without needing to own a console, that would at least make some degree of sense. However, based on Insider Gaming’s reports, it will require a PlayStation 5 system. It will also need to be always-online. Presumably allowing streaming anywhere in the world. While exact specifications aren’t known, rumours indicate it will have an 8” 1080p LCD touch screen, and will look a lot like a DualSense controller.

Since the Q Lite hasn’t been officially announced, there’s no word on release date of pricing. Though reports claim it will likely be soon, either sometime towards the end of 2023, or early 2024. Rumours have also been circulating that Sony plans to release a PS5 Pro sometime next year.

To me, the Q Lite seems to be a product that’s looking for an audience. It’s rare that the gaming community reaches a consensus on anything, and in this case, the internet reacted with a collective “huh”. Most people wanted, and were indeed expecting, a dedicated PlayStation handheld akin to the Steam Deck. While some people still indeed use Remote Play, it’s less of a selling point then it was a decade ago. The industry is instead moving towards data centre based streaming for that purpose. Meanwhile, nearly every mobile device under the sun already supports Remote Play, and controller attachments for phones are easy to find. So it’s really hard to say who exactly Q Lite could possibly be for. Sony’s accessory market for the PS5 already is a bit weird though. With the PSVR2 not selling as well as expected, maybe this is just Sony leaking their own product plans to see if there’s any demand for it. And clearly there isn’t.