Oddvintagechap
Issues with a PS4 Portable
1 - cost is too high.
It would have to be $400 or less given price of PS5.
That's very difficult to hit given the specs, since they won't sell a PS4 for a loss almost 10 years after it launched.
2 - chip and compatibility.
18 CUs + 8 cores into a portable chip seems unlikely. Steam Deck is only 4 cores and 8 CUs. Much smaller die.
3 - RAM bandwidth.
Its basically impossible to get the necessary 176 GB/s bw into a handheld (Steam Deck is only 88 GB/s.)
PS4 uses a 256 bit bus. Steam Deck, Switch (even Series S) all use 128 bit bus to lower cost of chip.
4 - insufficient screen size/quality.
Not many people would want to play GoW, Ghost, Uncharted, etc... on a 7" 720p display. They're built for large TVs.
5 - bad battery life.
Good luck getting even 2-3 hours of play out of it unless its fucking huge and 99% battery.
6 - low demand.
People can already buy PS4s. Easily, for cheap (used). Market for a PS4 portable is small. Not a huge seller.
7 - digital only.
This further lowers demand since many users have Blu-rays not digital games, unlike how every Steam user's library is digital.
8 - storage issues.
Can't fit a HDD into a portable. SSD's are too small / expensive for large capacity. Any option would cost too much or be too small.
9 - controls.
PS4 games being played from built-in controls on a handheld would be awkward at best. Would need to pair a DS4.
10 - future.
Launching a new PS4 (in 2022? 23?) would require Sony to keep making PS4 games until at least 2027-28. Won't happen.
