With PS Remote Play, Sony allows gamers to stream games from their PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles to Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS and Windows devices. You can even stream to another PS5 or PS4 if you wish. But now, Sony is putting a new twist on Remote Play by introducing the Project Q handheld.
To the untrained eye, Project Q looks like little more than a DualShock 5 controller split in half and then joined by an 8-inch display. The controllers have adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, while the 8-inch display features a 1080p resolution and is capped at 60 fps.
You’ll connect to Remote Play exclusively over Wi-Fi, according to Sony. There are apparently no provisions for integrated cellular connectivity. However, it shouldn’t be hard to connect to the internet on the go using your smartphone as a mobile hotspot.
Before you get any ideas that Project Q could be a true Valve Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally or even Nintendo Switch competitor, know that it is only a streaming device. No games are installed directly on the handheld, nor is it packing hardware powerful enough to enable native playback. So, if you want a genuine, self-contained handheld gaming machine, you’ll want to stick to the above devices.
Unfortunately, Sony was light on additional details for Project Q. We don’t know how much it weighs or how long the internal battery lasts. In addition, no pricing information has been revealed, although we know Sony plans to launch it later this year.
What remains to be seen is if this will be a popular device with customers. As mentioned in the introduction, Sony offers a wide range of options for customers to stream games from their PS5 or PS4. For example, the recently announced Backbone One PlayStation Edition allows you to have a similar Remote Play experience with your Android smartphone. However, you miss out on the larger 8-inch display, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
The big sticking point with customers will likely come down to pricing. The PlayStation 5 starts at $399, so Project Q will have to undercut that price by a fair margin to make a splash with the console gaming community.