Do you think Sony will mandate handheld support for every PS6 game?

Do you think Sony will mandate handheld support for every PS6 game?

  • Yes, every PS6 game will need to support the handheld as well

    Votes: 47 38.5%

  • No, handheld support will not be required

    Votes: 75 61.5%
  • Total voters
    122
  • Poll closed .
nial

nial

Member
Based on a similar thread from the other place, I was curious to hear GAF's opinion on this. First and foremost, we know that it has the same architecture as the home PlayStation 6 console, which means that it's supposed to be some sort of low level SKU (like Xbox Series X and S), and with more rumors supporting the idea of it releasing at the same time as the home unit, what we're looking at is basically a PlayStation 6 Portable, Sony's first handheld video game console in several years after it discontinued the PlayStation Vita back in 2019.
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So the question is, do you think Sony will mandate handheld support for every single PlayStation 6 game?
 
BTW, before people bring it up, the low power profile for PS5 games not having access to unique hardware/software features from PS6 (like PSSR, which yes, it's available on PS5 Pro, but not on the base console), makes it very unlikely that Sony will rely on it for its handheld support.
 
If there's some solution to make things work for the handheld with minimal effort sure.

Otherwise it will be a series s situation and mandating mandatory handheld support will be a disaster.

It might be even worse then series s situation, as there will be a bigger gap between the ps6 and this potential handheld.
 
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I dont know if it will but i know that it shouldnt. This will result in games that eould come out for ps6 to just no just not coming out, or coming out later than everywhere else until devs figure out how to make their game work. This had happened with xbox already. Baldurs gate 3 came out later because they had issue with series s. Black myth wukong hasnt released yet on xbox because of series s.
 
My hope is the handheld is for PS5/PS4 software primarily (hopefully PS1/2/P/Vita too) and it's simply using the cut down PS6 IP with its built-in hardware-level back compat to leverage those architectural advantages so it can run PS5 games more efficiently at lower clocks / power draw.

I also think the lack of PSSR/ML Upscaling in the low power mode we're hearing about may be indicative of that being done and injected somehow at the system level; and to do that, it'd make far more sense to utilise newer architectures that do it more efficiently rather than a modified RDNA 2 or a rehash of the Pro's RDNA "3.5". ML upscaling incurs a cost of course, but it's still much cheaper than running at full res and would be a no-brainer for a more advanced handheld.
 
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With the handled PC market already having competition, the only way to differentiate is to make a handheld that can remote play but also play native PS6 handheld games made specifically for the system

Gives us PSP2!!!
 
As long as PS designs the handheld in such as way that it is easy to scale down to then I don't see why they shouldn't mandate it. Imagine if Microsoft did not mandate XSS support. That would be a disaster. Either mandate support or don't make a handheld at all.
 
No. They should just make the port really easy l. There's some AAA struggling on a PS5 but most games run either comfortably or with performance to spare.
 
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Do I think they will? No. Do I think they should? Sort of.

For actual mass adoption and support of the handheld, I think they should.

But for the sake of quality exclusives, I think they should not.

I just really don't want another Vita or PSVR2 situation. Sony is dogshit at supporting their auxiliary hardware.
 
absolutely not.

the performance gulf between the PS6 and the rumoured handheld will be insane. we are talking a fraction of the PS5's power on the handheld, to maybe 5x or more the performance of the PS5 for the home console.

so in the end you'd have a difference in performance that's about on par with the difference between Series X and the Switch 2, if not bigger. imagine if every Series X game had to run on Switch 2... that would be a pretty big issue. you'd end up with games runnings at sub 480p and 30fps, and with the prevalence of UE5, that will not look pretty.

developers already have issues getting Series X games running on Series S at times (although often that is down to just bad optimisation of the game in general), that's a GPU performance difference of only 3x, and basically a negligible difference in CPU power. now half the Series S' GPU and CPU power and see what devs would say 🤨.
because that's the kinda difference you should expect between the PS6 and Sony rumoured handheld
 
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If, (and that's a BIG IF) Sony is able to o something like 'automatically' scale down a game to run in a 'portable mode', that would be one hell of a feature (no, what Siwtch does is not the same thing, since it's the same hardware for portable and docked mode).
 
They didn't push for every PS5 game to be playable in PSVR2 like they were suppossedly going to do. Expect the same thing from this portable if it even is real.
 
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They could just make it optional and always give PS6 owners the option to stream any game to it.
 
I don't think they should make it mandatory and I don't think they will. Make it a choice for devs and they can make it for the handheld if they want the extra sales.
 
Topher said:
Yeah, but really the only thing XSS had wrong was the memory configuration.
Click to expand...

yup.
and the difference between the PS6 and what the leaks suggest the new handheld will be, will be WAY bigger than the relatively tame 3x GPU difference that the Series X has over the Series S.

the leaked specs for the handheld (and what will be realistically possible at best) are sub PS5 levels of GPU performance, probably not much above Series S in fact.
the PS6 will (hopefully) at least have 5x the GPU performance of the PS5... so sub PS5 vs 5x PS5. that's a massive difference.

you can't force a dev to accommodate that kind of hardware difference with every single game they make.
 
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Three said:
I don't think they should make it mandatory and I don't think they will. Make it a choice for devs and they can make it for the handheld if they want the extra sales.
Click to expand...

It will be interesting to see if games will be cross buy.
 
I don't think they need to mandate it, most games for the first 4 years or so will be cross-gen so supporting the handheld won't be a problem, and after that if sales of the handheld are good most devs will want to support it anyway.
 
hemo memo said:
That will be limited to first-party games and indies so you'll have to buy two separate versions.
Click to expand...

That would be a mistake and if they did that, I'd be curious if they'd limit the streaming functionality for those titles. Appeal of the device is already somewhat tenuous as it isn't likely to see exclusives.
 
I insist that a PS6 portable is stupid and will refuse to believe it exists. Even a PS4 Portable is a stretch on tech and affordability.

i said the same about Series S, but Xbox being actually stupid enough to try is on them.
 
Topher said:
As long as PS designs the handheld in such as way that it is easy to scale down to then I don't see why they shouldn't mandate it.
Click to expand...
I had this discussion with thicc before: "Just scale it bro" never works in game dev. If it didn't work with the Series S, this sub PS5 level handheld is not going to have the slightest chance of keeping up with a 2028 600 dollar home console. Zero.

Topher said:
Imagine if Microsoft did not mandate XSS support. That would be a disaster. Either mandate support or don't make a handheld at all.
Click to expand...
I say PonyGAF leads the internet charge to compel Sony to cancel the PS6 Amateur.
 
ProtoByte said:
I had this discussion with thicc before: "Just scale it bro" never works in game dev. If it didn't work with the Series S, this sub PS5 level handheld is not going to have the slightest chance of keeping up with a 2028 600 dollar home console. Zero.
Click to expand...

Handhelds right now can play the same games being played on $3k PCs.
 
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Topher said:
Handhelds right now can play the same games being played on $3k PCs. \
Click to expand...
Ofc because a lot of devs have just barely stopped releasing games on the 12 year old PS4, and most haven't stopped using last gen engines/techniques. Not even Sony has released a game that was developed solely for the PS5, and probably never will.

Most 3rd parties are going to develop for the lowest possible common denominator, fine. Not really all that new. But the real problem is the hampering of potential for PS6 first party not-exclusives that will have to take a sub PS5 device into account going into the 2030s. That is fucking crazy.
 
ProtoByte said:
Ofc because a lot of devs have just barely stopped releasing games on the 12 year old PS4, and most haven't stopped using last gen engines/techniques. Not even Sony has released a game that was developed solely for the PS5, and probably never will.

Most 3rd parties are going to develop for the lowest possible common denominator, fine. Not really all that new. But the real problem is the hampering of potential for PS6 first party not-exclusives that will have to take a sub PS5 device into account going into the 2030s. That is fucking crazy.
Click to expand...

You are overestimating how powerful the PS6 is going to be.
 
ProtoByte said:
Ofc because a lot of devs have just barely stopped releasing games on the 12 year old PS4, and most haven't stopped using last gen engines/techniques. Not even Sony has released a game that was developed solely for the PS5, and probably never will.

Most 3rd parties are going to develop for the lowest possible common denominator, fine. Not really all that new. But the real problem is the hampering of potential for PS6 first party not-exclusives that will have to take a sub PS5 device into account going into the 2030s. That is fucking crazy.
Click to expand...

Eh....if you say so man. I don't say that in a smart ass way. I don't have a clue what devs are doing or will do. Only thing I know devs complained about with XSS was the memory configuration. Probably a lesson to learn from there I would think. Beyond that, we will just have to wait and see.
 
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That worked out really well for Microsoft with the Series S. Unless Sony feels they are the only HD game in town, I don't think they would. If anything Sony should make it extremely easy for games to run via patch, somehow, someway. Make it optional and in the developers best interest. But not mandatory.

The way that Sony and the industry is going, they will charge for a hand held patch or an entirely different software package for the hand held. I don't seem them having the same verticial slice expansion that Steam and Valve have.
 
Topher said:
Eh....if you say so man. I don't say that in a smart ass way. I don't have a clue what devs are doing or will do. Only thing I know devs complained about with XSS was the memory configuration. Probably a lesson to learn from there I would think. Beyond that, we will just have to wait and see.
Click to expand...

Well, if it has 16 GB, that's the same as the PS5.

My guess is that both the handheld and the PS6 will be using a healthy dose of Frame Gen, btw.
 
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Crispy Gamer said:
My guess it'll just stream PS6 games but play 4/5 native
Click to expand...

Think that makes the most sense really. I brought up current handhelds but those devices don't have to be in lockstep with desktop PCs like a console handheld like this that doesn't have its own dedicated library. Think you may have nailed it.
 
asdasdasdbb said:
You are overestimating how powerful the PS6 is going to be.
Click to expand...
Not at all. I'm expecting a 600 USD (tariffs not withstanding) console at break even in 2028. Whatever that is, it's going to be a lot more powerful than the PS5 and significantly better than the Pro. Unless of course, they hamper it on a power or architecture level in order to bridge a more sustainable gap between the console and the handheld. One way or another, the existence of the handheld means held back games, particularly from first party.

rodrigolfp said:
Funny. In the beginning of the gen R&C and Demon's Souls were told to be the showcases of the PS5 but now...
Click to expand...
DS I don't even count. It hasn't been ported to PC (yet at least) and wasn't cross gen, so maybe on a visual level it does count to some degree even being so early in the gen. Overall though, it's fundamentally a PS3 game on a design level.

R&C being ported to less powerful PCs and clearly having been eyed for that during the production of the actual game (as we can see Insomniac is doing for Wolverine), means it definitely doesn't count. Nor does SM2.
 
KeplerL2 said:
I don't think they need to mandate it, most games for the first 4 years or so will be cross-gen so supporting the handheld won't be a problem, and after that if sales of the handheld are good most devs will want to support it anyway.
Click to expand...
That's what I always said, though I'm still leaning on it being mandatory, anyway.
ProtoByte said:
I say PonyGAF leads the internet charge to compel Sony to cancel the PS6 Amateur.
Click to expand...
As the leader of PonyGAF, I disapprove of this.
 
Audiophile said:
My hope is the handheld is for PS5/PS4 software primarily (hopefully PS1/2/P/Vita too) and it's simply using the cut down PS6 IP with its built-in hardware-level back compat to leverage those architectural advantages so it can run PS5 games more efficiently at lower clocks / power draw.

I also think the lack of PSSR/ML Upscaling in the low power mode we're hearing about may be indicative of that being done and injected somehow at the system level; and to do that, it'd make far more sense to utilise newer architectures that do it more efficiently rather than a modified RDNA 2 or a rehash of the Pro's RDNA "3.5". ML upscaling incurs a cost of course, but it's still much cheaper than running at full res and would be a no-brainer for a more advanced handheld.
Click to expand...
This. I'm not convinced that a PS6 portable is in development.

Given the recent comments about the PlayStation home console being the best way to play on TV, I would be shocked if they shifted their strategy entirely to portable gaming.

If I were a betting man, the portable rumor makes much more sense with a PS5 device. Almost like a PS Portal 2 where you can play all of your PS5/PS4 games natively + PS6 remote play + cloud streaming.
 
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