It's A Terrible Time For Sony's Rumored PSP

Summary Sony may be working on a PSP successor for this generation, but a PS4-only launch lineup seems underwhelming and potentially outdated.

The handheld market has evolved with competition from the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, making a new Sony handheld a tough sell.

Sony has a history of struggling with handheld consoles, and a new PSP successor may face challenges in attracting a broad audience.

Rumor has it Sony is working on a new handheld console, the successor to its PSP - but it seems like too little, too late. The PSP, or PlayStation Portable, was a handheld console first released in 2005. It had its own impressive library of titles, many of which spun off PlayStation home console classics: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta, to name a few. Sony followed it up with a second handheld, the PS Vita, in 2011.

And now, Sony may be looking to do it again. Industry insiders claim Sony plans to release a brand-new handheld console sometime in the current generation. This would be separate from its PlayStation Portal, a handheld accessory that doesn't function as a console in and of itself. With the advent of the Nintendo Switch, rumors about the Switch 2, and handheld PCs like the Steam Deck, the handheld landscape is very different today from what it was when the PSP first came out. But is there really space for a new Sony handheld in today's landscape?

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Sony's Rumored PSP Successor May Only Play PS4 Games

Sony's Handheld Rumors Explained

A Telegram post by Russian industry insider Anton Logvinov, translated on ResetEra by a user named Angie, suggests that Sony is working on a PSP successor for the current console generation - but at the moment, its rumored launch lineup consists only of PS4 games. That doesn't necessarily mean it'll never be able to play PS5 titles. The wording is intentionally vague, and doesn't even list any of the PS4 launch titles by name. Still, Logvinov is careful to establish that even he's not sure about potential support for PS5 games.

There's certainly a big enough PS4 library to support a new handheld - new games have come out for the console as late as this year. But a handheld PS4 is the kind of thing that should've been released ten years ago, not today. Especially since the release of the PS5, PS4s are pretty affordable, and very easy to come by. They're even playable remotely from smartphones or Windows PCs via the PS Remote Play app. Even with the added benefits of a dedicated handheld - the ability to run games natively, built-in controls, et cetera - a new PSP would be a hard sell for all but the most devoted players.

If it were able to run PS5 games, a handheld PlayStation might be an interesting alternative to a home console. Even with slightly downgraded visuals, its portability (and presumably lower price) could be decent selling points for those who have yet to upgrade to the current generation. But if it could only run PS4 titles, it'd be an uphill battle. Current PS4 and PS5 owners would be unlikely to purchase a console that doesn't offer them any additional functionality. And its limited library would probably cause others to seek alternatives in different sectors of the handheld market.

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A New PSP Would Face Stiff Competition From The Steam Deck

Most PS4 Games Are Now Multi-Platform

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Now, the Nintendo Switch has its own unique library that sets it apart from other handhelds. Some players might choose it over a PSP successor, but a new Sony handheld would face more direct competition from handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. The fiercest battles of the console wars seem to have ended. Exclusivity is on its way out, and multi-platform releases are the future. Even Sony-published games are getting PC releases: Helldivers 2 and Ghost of Tsushima are only the most recent examples. These ports may have their issues, but the fact of the matter is that they're available on PC - and that means they also work on certain PC handhelds.

That would only be worse if the new PSP was only able to play PS4 games. Most of the biggest PS4 games have already gone multi-platform, and the grand majority of those are verified for Steam Deck. Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Death Stranding, and a whole host of others are all on Steam and Deck-verified. And the Steam Deck has a unique advantage over a potential PlayStation handheld in that it can also play current-gen games. Titles like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur's Gate 3, and Diablo 4 - some of the biggest titles of the current gen to date - all number among the Steam Deck's library.

Despite Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, and Diablo 4's availability on PS4, they were launched during the PS5's lifespan, and thus can be considered current-gen games.

Although the Steam Deck can't handle every new release, it does get many of them, and that would give it a major edge over a PS4-exclusive handheld. Of course, not every Sony-published game works on the Steam Deck specifically: Ghost of Tsushima isn't supported at the time of writing, and Horizon Forbidden West's graphics just seem to push its hardware too far. However, it's possible to run these games on alternative handheld PCs, like the Lenovo Legion Go, as well as gaming laptops with the appropriate specs. Depending on its price, these portable devices could also pose points of competition for a new PSP.

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A PSP Successor Might Be Doomed To Fail

Sony Has A Bad History With Handhelds

But even if it can play PS5 games, a new Sony PSP would have a tough legacy to live up to. The company's first handheld (not counting the glorified memory card that was the PocketStation), the original PSP, was a decent seller, but struggled to find a foothold outside Japan. Its direct successor, the Vita, underperformed worldwide. Ultimately, the very concept of a PlayStation handheld just seems like a tough sell. Maybe people don't associate the brand closely enough with handheld consoles. Maybe it's the lackluster hardware relative to Sony's home consoles. Or maybe Sony's handheld consoles just have limited libraries that don't draw broad appeal.

That said, the handheld market has changed greatly since the PSP's 2005 release - and indeed, the Vita's in 2011. That's mostly due to the advent of the Switch. In the previous generation, Nintendo merged its handheld and home console brands. For the first time ever, its flagship piece of hardware was primarily a handheld. Turning it into a home console requires an optional peripheral. The Switch has inevitably been a huge success, somewhat due to its blend of third-party titles and Nintendo exclusives, but in no small part due to its portability. The Steam Deck burst onto that scene in 2022, offering better specs and an expansive library of AAA, indie, and classic PC games via a familiar online store.

A new PSP would seek to do something similar, appearing suddenly to join the pantheon of modern handhelds. But its library would be limited, with neither Nintendo's exclusivity nor Steam's inclusivity. It could fall victim to the same brand recognition curse as the original PSP and Vita. And even if it could run PS5 games natively, its hardware would inevitably be worse than the PS5's. The market may have changed, but it seems like Sony is making the same mistakes all over again.

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Rumors of a PSP successor have been circulating for some time. They seem to suggest a release during the current generation, though - a next-gen, PS4-only handheld would be even more absurd, which means they'll probably be confirmed or debunked soon. If they are true, they appear to be a major misstep by Sony - but only time and corroboration by official sources will tell.

Source: Angie/ResetEra