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Reasons Why Sony returning to real handheld is Dumb

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
So the exact same strategy of putting home console games on handheld. Worked quite well with the Vita.

They failed precisely because this is what they were doing. Then again, Sony never understood the handheld market anyway. The PSP eventually became a success only because third parties actually understood what people wanted to play on it.

And they would push another trash tier proprietary format, because of course.

It's worked perfectly for Nintendo this generation.

The Vita was nothing like this, there was no quality flow of aaa games, and sony had to divert entire teams to make games as the architcheture was completely different.
Thats not the case now at all.

People just want great games - the psp and Vita failed to deliver this. A new handheld would not suffer that fate.
 

Woopah

Member
The handheld and consoles market/ecosystem are now one and the same. You don't need a specific focus or specific software support.

All you need is hardware capable of playing games portably, and to an extent that is what the Portal is.

I'd also say that it's clear Sony is not "laser focused" on fans of single player games.
 

Shifty1897

Member
It's worked perfectly for Nintendo this generation.

The Vita was nothing like this, there was no quality flow of aaa games, and sony had to divert entire teams to make games as the architcheture was completely different.
Thats not the case now at all.

People just want great games - the psp and Vita failed to deliver this. A new handheld would not suffer that fate.
So there are two possibilities:

Sony makes a portable PS5 that docks wirh the TV:
It worked for Nintendo this generation because the Switch is a handheld first, not a console.
Making a portable PS5 that could dock with the TV using today's technology would cost over a thousand dollars. Look at gaming laptops that compare to the PS5. It would weigh at least 5 lbs and the battery life would be an hour and a half, tops. No one would buy it.
Advantages: Instant game library at launch of PS4/PS5 titles
Disadvantages: The technology doesn't exist to make this affordable to the mainstream market

Sony makes a handheld with it's own architecture:
You just have the PSP and Vita again, only worse because games take even longer to make now. Sony put out ONE first party game this year on PS5. They don't have enough first party studios to support their home console, let alone a handheld.
Advantages: Potentially affordable product
Disadvantages: Hardly any first party support

Neither work.
 

Sybrix

Member
Wait.... that Portal thing doesn't have Bluetooth?!

Tell me you don't have to buy Playstation branded wireless headphones?!

Fuck me... even Apple doesnt pull that kind of shit.
 
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N1tr0sOx1d3

Given another chance
Sony destroyed all those bridges years ago. They bet big on VR instead and that thing is dead. Sony being trend chasing idiots is why they blew it regarding handhelds.
Curious, what makes you think VR is dead? Can’t be dead enough for Sony to release 2 of these headsets now. Actually it’s 3 because the 1st version received a revision.
 
A native PS4P with 720p was probably in the ballpark of what was possible around the PS5 launch and would have perfectly accompanied the cross gen phase and could have served as a fine PS5 and Plus Remote Play device.
Now it's probably too late for to promote any PS4 native processing stuff and too early for a proper PS5P especially since Sony has no XSS of their own and no plan of having a second tier fallback mode at all.

All we seemingly get is a PS5 player which as of now lacks even the very possible Plus connection, since it's probably the same video compression tech.

Sony might have still a kinda successfull device but imho this thing is as weird as the closed garden VR1 incompatible VR2 and both could be much more if Sony just tried. VR could reach more people, also with a more mass appeal at max Quest2 price, and a proper portable alongside that limited device would all have sold much better than what we have as their offer.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
If a Deck can run things like Rift Apart and it’s not even the most powerful handheld on the market Sony would definitely be able to shift to handheld.
Rift Apart had the advantage of being an S+ tier port of a relatively cartoony game that for as good as it looks doesn't push graphical boundaries the same way something like TLOU2 or RDR2 does. (though the latter also runs on deck....)
 
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cireza

Member
It's worked perfectly for Nintendo this generation.
Nintendo make Nintendo games though. Handhelds are not the best place for big TV third person action games and FPS, never were. You can throw all the Uncharted, Bloodborne, Horizon, Last of Us you want at a handheld, it won't do the job.

There were a couple times where Sony actually got it. It was with LocoRoco and Patapon. Or Oreshika on Vita, even though it wasn't a great game. At least it felt right on handheld.
 
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Why did we need a new thread that's doing nothing more than stating the obvious?

This is like creating a new thread in the OT stating that water is wet while thinking you just wrote something insightful.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
So there are two possibilities:

Sony makes a portable PS5 that docks wirh the TV:
It worked for Nintendo this generation because the Switch is a handheld first, not a console.
Making a portable PS5 that could dock with the TV using today's technology would cost over a thousand dollars. Look at gaming laptops that compare to the PS5. It would weigh at least 5 lbs and the battery life would be an hour and a half, tops. No one would buy it.
Advantages: Instant game library at launch of PS4/PS5 titles
Disadvantages: The technology doesn't exist to make this affordable to the mainstream market

Sony makes a handheld with it's own architecture:
You just have the PSP and Vita again, only worse because games take even longer to make now. Sony put out ONE first party game this year on PS5. They don't have enough first party studios to support their home console, let alone a handheld.
Advantages: Potentially affordable product
Disadvantages: Hardly any first party support

Neither work.

Well your second possibility wouldn't even be considered.

As for #1, the tech already exists that will run ps5 games just fine at 800p and could easily be sold for less than half what you are suggesting at sony's volume. Valve is already doing it at $399 and the tech is 2 years old.
The tech most definately exists.
 

analog_future

Resident Crybaby
Handhelds with separate game libraries are forever dead. The only way forward is consolidation of game libraries between console/handheld, ala Switch with their docking functionality or Playstation Portal / xCloud /etc.. for remote play/cloud library access.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
It wouldn't be effortless to make these games work on said portable PS5 though. You'd still need to optimize for the lower-end system. That takes time and development resources.

Considering the same architecture and tools, we are talking about small amounts of time here if developed at the same time as the ps5 release. Certainly about 95% easier and cheaper than vita/psp development was.
 
First, it's not obvious if you haven't been reading the comment of ppl who think it's not dumb.

Second, even if the majority thinks it dumb, we still need to agree why as a majority. Hence the thread.
 

nial

Gold Member
They killed off all their handheld based studios - no mod nation racer no, sack boy, no patapon.
What? They shut down MediaMolecule (LittleBigPlanet), and United Front Games (ModNation Racers), which they never owned? And Pyramic, Inc. (Patapon), which was a never a first-party studio and it's still around? :messenger_dizzy:
 
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Klosshufvud

Member
Curious, what makes you think VR is dead? Can’t be dead enough for Sony to release 2 of these headsets now. Actually it’s 3 because the 1st version received a revision.

Seems like in general, it underperformed and Sony's been quiet about it recently.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives

Seems like in general, it underperformed and Sony's been quiet about it recently.

Bloomberg has been known to have a hate for Playstation for some odd reason. That article was proven to be false months after it was released.
 

tr1p1ex

Member
Yeah they won't do it unless it's a hybrid like the Switch and their only system. And they wouldn't do that unless consumers give some indication that a hybrid system trumps having the best possible graphics.
 
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SkylineRKR

Member
The landscape did change. I mean, back then we would say Sony has no true handheld games. Which is kinda true but Steamdeck etc are also bonafide desktop games on a handheld. Switch are also home console games. It would probably fly better today if Sony released their console portfolio for handheld as well.

But they would've need actual hardware, and the Portal is rather low risk I imagine. All it does is remote play.
 

nial

Gold Member
VR is the big one.
Ah yes, VR, the big trend of 2010 when they started active development on PSVR.
Then there is GAAS which has ruined their output this gen
So far? Not really.
Then there is applying a ridiculous MCU-like mantra to their games, mimicking the intro even.
Actual troll/warrior rethoric.
Destroyed their Japanese studios.
This is how I know you can't even get your own point right (trend-chasing?), especially when you're bringing up the restructuration of a SINGLE department into a new one (Internal Development Department > Team Asobi).
Cloud gaming.
Which so far has never been more than a bonus in their offerings.
Game Pass-like addition to PS Plus.
PS Now literally used the same service model 2 years earlier than Game Pass.
PS Plus itself basically ripping off Xbox Live
The only one I'm giving you.
The trend of using inflation as an excuse to increase prices
And this is grasping at straws.
 

Codes 208

Member
I mean i would happily take the equivalent of a ps4 pro handheld (basically a rog ally but with the ps form factor) with 100% BC with ps4’s digital library, remote play, oled screen, micro sd expansion.

As for modern games, its not like ms doesnt already have devs make two versions of their games for the s and x so theres no reason why sony cant do that too
 

Hudo

Member
Sony already had trouble with supporting and steering the PS Vita. They have trouble with properly supporting the PSVR2. I don't see them supporting two platforms. They would need to do a Nintendo and go all-in on the handheld. And then they would need to counter Nintendo directly, which Sony can't. They don't have the first-party fortitude to compete with Nintendo directly.
 

iHaunter

Member
No shit.

Sony trying to compete with Nintendo in the handheld-market is pointless.
I disagree. The specs on the Switch are far below par. Even their own games heavily lag. BOTW on release played 8-25 FPS. That's when the Switch was New mind you.

I think a new PSP would work. So long as it can support the library.
 
They shouldnt make a dedicated handheld but they could have at least put more effort into the playstation portal to make it a better experience with playing PS4 and PS5 games.
 
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