The Xperia Play was an early portable experiment (pic: Sony Ericsson)



Two different sources both agree that Sony is on the cusp of announcing a new portable, but it won’t be anything like the PS Vita.



It’s easy to lose track of the amount of new hardware Sony allegedly has in development at the moment, between talk of a PS5 Slim, PS5 Pro, and even the PlayStation 6, but the most mysterious is an unknown new device that was first hinted at earlier this week.



The usually reliable Tom Henderson didn’t offer any details, but fans quickly surmised that some kind of new handheld console was one of the most likely explanations. In a follow-up article he has now confirmed that, stating that it’s codenamed Q Lite and is primarily meant for remote play.



That means it’s not something that can play games natively like a PSP or PS Vita but instead needs a PlayStation 5 to play its games remotely. Henderson says it’s not primarily intended for cloud streaming, but it could surely be used for that as well.



Since the initial rumours began on Monday, fellow insider Jeff Grubb has weighed in by saying that he’s only ever heard about a cloud-streaming handheld.



Although that detail doesn’t quite match, the fact that the two most reliable industry insiders agree that a new portable is on its way seems significant.



According to Henderson on Insider Gaming , the Q Lite can support adaptive streaming up to 1080p and 60fps. However, it will require a constant (and no doubt fast) internet connection to work, which obviously negates the handheld aspect to a degree.




I am traveling to Super Nintendo World, but I see the reports about a potential Vita 2, and I would definitely scope down those expectations. I’ve only ever heard about a cloud-streaming handheld. — Grubb (@JeffGrubb) April 4, 2023




Henderson claims to have seen an early prototype, which looks similar to a DualSense controller for PlayStation 5 but with an 8 inch LCD touchscreen in the centre.



Just like the DualSense it supposedly has adaptive triggers, all of which suggests a relatively expensive device. A normal DualSense costs around £60 and the high-end DualSense Edge is £210, with the Q Lite likely to fall somewhere within the middle of that range.



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Henderson claims that the Q Lite will launch before the PS5 Pro but after the new PlayStation 5 model with a detachable disc drive , which so far only he has talked about. He suggests that the new PlayStation 5 model will be released in September and the PS5 Pro in time for Christmas 2024.



Sony itself hasn’t hinted at anything yet but Grubb has previously described Sony’s not-E3 showcase in June as the ‘second phase’ of the PlayStation 5, a description which Henderson supports – particularly in terms of new hardware.









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MORE : Mystery PlayStation hardware will launch before PS5 Pro claims insider – new portable?







MORE : Next PS5 showcase is early summer claim multiple sources







MORE : PS5 sales in February broke all PlayStation records in the US





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