Rumor: Sony working on a handheld that could run PS4 games

This could get a bit ranty and is a bit off topic so my brief reply to the bit in bold.

Yes it's the designers fault (the designer of whoever is moving the game to the new system to be clear). Every system has constraints. These constraints are known on consoles because the spec is fixed. If a designer says they can make their design work on a different system (and the fact the game is released says they did) and it ends up running like crap then it's the designers fault. Blaming the console spec is like blaming the wind for a bridge collapsing.

This is not to say consoles cannot be criticised by devs. Of course they can. Every console, handheld and PC has it's issues and things to improve on for the next version. But those issues are not going to go away for the current console. It is what it is. Devs have to work to that.

The price point for this thing will be very interesting.

It specifically says PS4 games that are on PC so perhaps it's some sort of PlayStation branded handheld PC. That makes a lot more sense to me considering it could work with future PlayStation Studio releases.

I'm not fixated on the Steamdeck, you are. I made a comment, a legit one and you replied to me. I don't need to experience the Deck to know that not all games work on it, and I don't need to own one to know that Gaben after 2yrs refuses to release sold numbers, and we all know what that means including you, even though (and I called it) you wouldn't touch on how you came to the conclusion that its popular, a claim you've made in multiple threads without proof, just your emotions taking over.

Now I don't want to get into a conversation over this again, I made my post, maybe you should keep your emotions in check and don't hit reply and we don't have to go over it again.

Have a nice day 👍

That analogy makes no sense in context. A more accurate analogy would be a bridge with a certain weight limit collapsing when burden with more weight than it is capable of supporting. This analogy can be applied to both the console and the game design.

Your analogy doesn't work either. Who gets the blame for the bridge collapsing because there was too much weight put on it? It's not the drivers going over the bridge. It's not the manufacturers of the vehicles. It's not the distance over the river that's at fault. Either the bridge was poorly designed or it was poorly constructed. Either way the fault lies with the bridge and those who made it.

Like the wind in a given area or the distance to cover over the crossing point, the console spec is the spec. That's the environment the dev is working in. It's not going to change. Developers can't just ignore it, push on with the game then blame the console spec when the game runs poorly.

In a world where you have the Steam Deck and their competitors that can play current games on the go why would you need a portable that would play a new library of games?

Wouldn't it better for Sony to optimise their first party library so their games can run well on these devices and grab the software money rather than a costly production cycle?

Sony's recent hardware endeavours have been failures and this being last gen only would be yet another.

Would it being a phone work? I was saying the Vita should've been a phone before it released. They even had a slider prototype, and that was before phones are as big as they are now. If mobile gaming 🤮🤮🤮 is 50% of the market, and Sony only seems to be going for the money makers, this seems like something they should check out. Does the steam deck have access to the Google play and the Apple store? Is this what Microsoft is doing with their mobile store and handheld?

PSP failed because the games were so easy to pirate, right? And Vita failed because they charged so much for their proprietary sd cards. What reason will kill the system this time?

If that system is a cross hybrid like the Switch is where you can play both in handheld and on T.V, and has unique exclusive games on it and a reasonable price. Then I might be interested for it but I doubt that is what it is going to be.

They can’t compete with Nintendo handhelds though. Easy flop.

@WitIsWisdom: "Why would they release a handheld that could only run PS4 games though? "

I can see them adding PS1/PS2/PSP downloads while streaming PS3/5/6 games.

But that's still not good enough for me though. I think it needs its own games.

Please let this be a reality. I would give anything to play PS4 games on a train on my way to work. I love my Switch, but a portable PS4 would be crazy awesome.

@PSP107: I'd even go one farther and say it's own games AND pc launcher compatibility. If it doesn't have those selling points I feel as though it will have a hard time competing with things like Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion, and ROG Ally which can all already play the vast majority of bigger PlayStation games.

Investing an entire production line, marketing campaign, and more into a current-gen handheld that only plays last-gen games seems misguided at best.

It also seems very, very lazy and low-effort. It's like they did the Portal thing and it sold well and Sony is like "Hmmm maybe there's something we can do with this, but we don't want to work very hard. How can we exploit our customer base?" and, voila...outdated-out-the-gate portable gaming console.

Right? Very curious.

Didn't cows just buy Phony's fake handheld and worthless PVR2?

And now mooaar hardware with a BS Jive Bro to buy but no new games?

Cows on suicide watch confirmed. lol :P

Are you suggesting that Sony is trying to weather their lack of compelling content with Unsupported gimmicky hardware because they believe their fanbase will buy it no matter what?

No, no, not at all but now that you say it that way me thinks you're on to something. ;o

lolol :P

A curious rumor, for certain. Wasn't their last handheld a flop? But I guess keep throwing things until something sticks?

If there is too much weight on a bridge and that weight causes it to collapse, whomever placed the bridge under pressure it was not designed for is to blame. This is not complicated. This applies to many devices, buildings and other things we interact with in life. Thus the existence of specification and the notion of correct use. If a person use something out of specification and something awful happens the fault lies on the user.

If a game runs poorly on a system, the system can be blamed for the poor performance. Stating that a developer cannot blame the hardware when the hardware is the cause for the poor performance is ludicrous. I will re-iterate, if a game is design for a certain specification/hardware and it is then ported to weaker less capable hardware, the performance of the game on weaker hardware is going to be due to it being on weaker hardware. It doesn't mean the developer can't potentially find ways to navigate the limitations of the weaker hardware but the weaker hardware being the cause cannot be ignored by default. Game development is complicated and you are grossly simplifying the process.

@WitIsWisdom: "I feel as though it will have a hard time competing with things like Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion, and ROG Ally"

Wouldn't it compete more with Switch 2 than those PC handhelds?

If true, this might be the only PlayStation hardware worth buying.

No thank you. After the abysmal support for the Vita, PSVR and PSVR2, I am thinking I will not be buying anymore handheld or peripherals Sony makes.

@PSP107: In generations of the past I would say yes, but when those handhelds play PS, Xbox, and Nintendo (for those in the know or who don't care) games as well as PC games for a comparable price it just doesn't make sense.

My ROG Ally has Gamepass, Playstation games linked to my account through steam, emulators, trophy and achievement support, the ability to dock and hook up to my TV, big picture mode, game pad support for nearly any game, interfaces and front menus that are getting more and more streamlined, automatic updates, all the free games I've collected off various different websites and launchers, Prime, the list goes on and on.

I feel as though consoles and PCs are maybe a generation away from being combined almost in their entirety. MS is already pushing streaming and such functionality, and with AI continuously pushing the boundaries of what's possible technology is moving very fast right now and prices will continue to stabilize and drop as dev times decrease and quality improves. It's only a matter of time before one of them creates an all in one device to compete away from the general console marketplace.

I see MS making the change first and Playstation right on their heels. PS has already seen a huge boon from putting their games on PC. It is natural progression to create an all in one device that plays all games without the hassle of upgrades, forced updating that isn't automatic, etc. They will want to market a device that has compatibility with nearly everything while having the convenience and out of the box functionality of a console.

My guess is that the next PS and Xbox consoles will be at least 600 dollars and the extreme ally is only 700. With an ever changing market and people expecting more and more the overall winner or first to strike it big will be the company who says "ok, we will make deals to have pretty much all games in one place, while streamlining the experience for console gamers".

I can see a 6 or 7 hundred dollar handheld hybrid released by both MS and SONY and also a console from each for around the same price... perhaps even 2 or 3 skus day 1 with the most expensive pushing closer to 1k. Perhaps even a lower powered handheld that can't be docked as well for a lower 300 to 500 price tag. Playstation has had great success with the portal and they will almost undoubtedly see that success and expand upon it in the future as the industry keeps changing.

I even see Nintendo eventually giving in and joining them as well... they already started releasing mobile games. Mobile, PC, and console will all be melded into one in the very near future. Hell mobile and PC are pretty much getting there already, especially with Epic.. then you add in the fact devs and the big three won't want to leave millions sitting on the table, and its only natural progression. Certain exclusives or features will still set them apart. We will see wars much more akin to pc launchers where it will be indies and AA games only being released for certain consoles in order to keep some competition within the industry.

Of course this is all educated speculation, but the writing is on the wall and the industry is clearly moving in that direction.

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree because this will go round in circles.

So the way you are seeing this analogy: who is the user? I see the user (those crossing the bridge) as the player. The developer is the bridge builder and designer. The environment is the console. So if the wind brings the bridge down then the bridge was badly made. If the bridge collapsed due to it's length and too many cars were on it then it was still a poorly made bridge. The environment is what it is. Drivers crossing the bridge is a perfectly reasonable use of a bridge. Maybe I'll cut out the analogy :P.

But the way I see things anyway. In the console space: blaming hardware and arguing that more powerful hardware is the answer to performance issues is just applying PC thinking to a console problem. Once a console is out: its out. It wont change. The spec is fixed. So blaming the CPU or memory bandwidth or whatever is fruitless. The Spec is the Spec. It will not change. Yes the game may be CPU bottlenecked (for example) but a faster CPU is not going to arrive. So if a game is released on any console and it performs poorly due to the CPU then someone in the games production messed up. The CPU was a known quantity going in.

For as long as publishers/developers decide to release poorly performing games on consoles, there will always be poorly performing games on consoles. More powerful hardware won't fix that problem. The Switch 2 won't fix this problem. No console ever will.

I mean do you blame the Specs of the Switch for the state Arkham Knight was released in?

@osan0: You are missing what I am stating and saying things that are not being said whilst missing the half that aligns. Ah well.

@WitIsWisdom: "I can see a 6 or 7 hundred dollar handheld hybrid released by both MS and SONY and also a console from each for around the same price... perhaps even 2 or 3 skus day 1 with the most expensive pushing closer to 1k."

$600-$1000 PS/Xbox devices? 🤔

@PSP107: Yep, they will likely have multiple skus and since the handhelds are selling extremely well in the 600-1000 range I would imagine they will want to get in on that action. They just recently upped the price of games from 60 to 70 dollars, so a hop from 500 to 600 for the baseline and 700 or 800 plus for a higher end option is probably pretty realistic at this point. Of course I could be wrong since it's just a guess based on the market and trending hardware.

If they offer consoles that can run about anything on the market people will pay more for the added functionality. I have a lot of online friends that would love to get a PC but don't want the hassle. It's a perfect middle ground in my opinion. Then again I'm not saying it will happen, just saying it makes a whole hell of a lot of sense. Devs and companies want to charge more, so why not make it worth thr difference? Then again... it makes too much sense so it probably won't happen.. lol