There may be a PS5 portable after all, maybe
I last left the readers a week ago with a post about recent rumors that Sony may be unleashing a handheld gaming console. The code name for this device is "QLite." As I stated in that last published post, the PS Vita was the last portable device Sony produced, and it's now been ten years since the company shelved the device due to poor sales.
But we may still have a successor to the PS Vita; we'll, maybe. These rumors should not be ignored because all the stories are published on reputable websites. Now multiple sources indicate Sony is realistically developing a new handheld device. In addition, it's reported Sony has posted a new set of job listings that corroborate the rumors about a new cloud base portable console.
Credit The Verge for recently discovering and reporting 22 Sony cloud gaming job listings, including the Director of Product Management position for Cloud Gaming. However, you must understand job listings aren't always a clear indicator that the device will ever come to fruition. But intrigued minds can't help but think these vacant job listings are a telling sign Sony is ready to impact the gaming industry. Other job opportunities include senior platform engineers, software engineers, project managers, and technical writers.
Enhancing rumors even more, The Verge posted a patent showing an application powering a single-player game using multiple GPUs. If you observe closely, it is similar to how cloud gaming operates. However, according to reports, games will not run natively. Instead, the focus here is cloud base streaming or PS5 Remote Play.
As reported on Insider Gaming, the publication strongly believe Sony is in the process of producing a portable gaming device, codename "Q Lite." But it will operate differently. Instead of being a cloud streaming device, it will use the PS5 Remote Play feature.
However, according to a past 2019 quote from Sony's Playstation CEO, Jim Ryan, he seemingly dismisses any notion that there will be another handheld gaming device.
"PlayStation Vita was brilliant in many ways, and the actual gaming was great, but it's a business we're no longer in now."
If we learned something from Valves Steam Deck and even Nintendo's switch, in 2023, there is still a market for gaming portables. With both devices’ stellar market success, I can see Sony venturing back into the portable gaming space. Will it ever happen? Time will tell.
