A known insider has said that Sony’s “paying close attention” to the handheld market following PlayStation Portal‘s unexpected and unprecedented success. Although it’s merely a PS5 remote player as opposed to a Vita/PSP-esque handheld, the Portal has consistently sold well, surprising even Sony itself.
A new PlayStation handheld has been rumored for a while
Report comes from the trusty Tom Henderson, who claims to have spoken to a number of folks about the handheld market at Gamescom 2024. While he didn’t specify who he spoke to, Henderson said that “interesting hardware discussions” took place about the handheld market, and advised his followers on X to start saving up as he reckons that new and improved handhelds aren’t too far off.
Interestingly, Microsoft is also rumored to be delving into the handheld market, according to numerous reputable insiders. But what about Sony? Well, according to Henderson, the PS Portal’s massive success has resulted in the company “paying very close attention to the current handheld market.”
The PlayStation Portal was very successful and they are paying very close attention to the current handheld market 🙂— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) August 25, 2024
Rumors of a new PlayStation handheld have been swirling for a while, with one insider claiming as recently as May 2024 that a that a PSP/Vita-esque system is coming and it’ll apparently be capable of running PS4 games.
While we can’t comment on the authenticity of these reports, it does sound like the handheld market is about to get a lot more competitive.