I don't think I've seen a single poster have their quality of posts fall as hard as yours.
Dang did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed to type this or what?
Okay, let me break it down for you, piece by piece.
There isn't going to be a PS6 capable handle at anytime in the near future.
I didn't say a PS6-capable handheld. I said a handheld
based on PS6 technology. A
derivative of the PS6. Sharing same architectural features, but (obviously) pared down in total amount of certain resources like GPU shaders, RAM, RAM bandwidth etc.
If you haven't been paying attention, SIE have this thing called PSSR for the PS5 Pro, that they're gonna improve in the future. Stuff like that would be key to a new handheld based on PS6 tech.
The Switch already an expensive handheld at release (after the PS4/X1 launched) was closer in power to the PS3.
That's Nintendo; they had a disaster in the Wii U and 3DS kind of underperformed. They were more conservative than usual with pushing for their follow-up. Nvidia were the only company with a product at the time that could meet their needs at a good cost. In fact, what they had was better for the price than what Nintendo were cooking up for a 3DS successor up to that point.
Nintendo are not SIE. They have different approaches to designing hardware at a target MSRP. Don't know why you're bringing them up :/
Sony can't cut the price of the PS5, but you think they could release a PS6 quality handheld for 400 dollars? Dude, are you okay?
Again, not a PS6-level handheld? A new handheld
based on PS6 technologies. It'd have a more modern feature-set than the PS5, even if things like TF and RAM bandwidth would be much less than a PS6 proper.
How did you not gleam this from my post?
Again with you and streaming. This device would run PS4 games natively and scaled down PS5 games. Sure it can do streaming too, because why not, but that's not the primary method of playing games.
I'm sure this rumored PS4-based handheld would do streaming. My question is, what is the
business sense in doing it now, versus saving the native-play handheld effort for next gen?
I was one of those folks kicking up the idea of a PS4 handheld like a year or so ago, you can find posts of mine talking about it going that far back. However, that was under the assumption of certain
other things. A lot of SIE's own 1P titles have been ported to PC since then, and there's the chance that will continue with even greater frequency going forward. Maybe even Day 1. I don't think that would be a smart decision on SIE's part, but I've said why plenty of times before plus that's a different topic somewhat.
Anyway, you have them and those PC ports; you have 3P who have ported many of their own PS4 games to PC. The PS4 itself isn't getting a lot of new games anymore outside of the rare cross-gen effort here or there. The combination of those things already kind of limits what a new handheld focused on natively playing PS4 games could bring to the market.
Again I ask you and everyone:
what is the value proposition of a new SIE handheld that can natively play PS4 games, going to be in a 2024/2025-beyond market where Steam Deck (& Steam Deck 2) and Switch 2 exist? Considering it's, 1: not getting a lot of new current-gen releases, and 2: doesn't have a large library of exclusive games to access for convenience of portability (since so many 3P games are on PC now and therefore compatible with Steam Deck, not to mention almost all of SIE's PS4-era 1P games are on Steam now too)?
Who can answer that question in a way that makes a PS4 handheld in today's market, make sense? If SIE hadn't ported most of their PS4 and PS5-era 1P games to PC, a PS4 Portable would've had more market appeal IMO to the hardcore/core gamers who'd make up most of the customers, because then they could play those exclusives on-the-go. The ability to stream PS5 games is the exact same value proposition argument the PS Portal already has going for it, and a PS4 Portable doing the same & more would surely cost a lot more.
There are barely any handhelds now that are PS4 powered and the window is still there, because once again 90% of games this generation are cross gen. The best selling games are cross gen. Meaning pretty much everything works day 1. It's the same theory with the PS5 Pro and why they didn't put more money into CPU and focused on GPU. The GPU is the restrictive component in 95% of games not the CPU. Having all PS4 games play means that you only need to patch a handful of PS5 games scaling them down for performance on the handheld and future games know what they need to do in order to work on the PS Handheld or a developer can opt to make the PS4 version.
Many of the big AAA games coming out now are
NOT cross-gen, though. SIE's own 1P stopped being cross-gen with GOW Ragnarok; outside of the MLB games nothing else from them is cross-gen anymore. The big 3P AAA games are now solidly current-gen only: Alan Wake 2, Dragon's Dogma 2, the upcoming Star Wars and AssCreed games, GTA6, Dead Space, even smaller stuff like HiFi Rush are all current-gen only. The audience for cross-gen who are still buying those games on 8th-gen consoles, is not going to be the audience that gravitates to a PS4 Portable. Why would they? To play Fortnite or Apex Legends on-the-go? They either likely aren't interested enough, or already have another means to do that like a smartphone.
Ideally, the time for a PS4 Portable would've been at the start of this generation, not midway through. And I think especially in light of SIE's porting strategy to PC, among other things like them already having the PS Portal on the market, the optimal time for a PS4 Portable has passed. However, that doesn't mean they can't refocus the PS Portal into a more handheld/portable like device, and offer cloud streaming in addition to the Remote Play it already features. That just seems like the much better short & mid-term option for SIE here in the handheld/portable space.
Meanwhile, save the ambitions for a native handheld for the PS6 generation; a device that can (likely) natively play PS5 games (maybe with an attached dock) as well as PS4 games, scaled down versions of PS6 games natively, and native BC with PS1/2/3/PSP/Vita. The market would go crazy for that type of device; it could be counted with PS6 in SKU numbers, have clear points of differentiation, command a solid price and help with adoption in markets where home consoles aren't as strong.
I think some of you want SIE to jump into this "PC handheld revolution" or put out a new portable
RIGHT NOW just so they're in the conversation. But to me it'd be a rushed decision and waste of time. The PS Portal is good enough for their handheld/portable needs right now. Just do a revision with a more proper handheld-like design, work on getting dedicated cloud gaming on the thing, get availability improved and just work on a PS6-based handheld in time for 10th-gen.
If Valve wants to release a Steam Deck 2 in the meantime, that's their thing. Nintendo's gonna push the Switch 2? Cool, it'll be a massive hit. Microsoft wants to put out an Xbox handheld before 2026? Fine. I hope they find success with it. Let these other companies do their thing and let SIE do what's best for them which, IMO, is a revision/availability increase for PS Portal in the short & mid-term, improving BC (and available titles) for PS1/2/3/PSP/Vita, and putting R&D towards a native PS6-based handheld in time for 10th-gen.
Besides IMO they need to do other things with the PS5 as-is. That'd include things like re-establishing some genuine exclusivity in software offerings, cutting the fat on some of the more expensive game budgets, increase volume of software output (such as with more internal AA titles), & finding novel ways to monetize the big AAA games (such as breaking them up into installments releasable in 2-3 year intervals). Additionally, finding ways to address software prices (such as a per-game subscription/installment payment option on the store), finding ways to balance online play between console & PC for GAAS titles (either make online free on console again or give console players perks for buying GAAS titles on console), and more. They also have to focus on the impending PS5 Pro.
And somehow people are saying SIE should have yet
ANOTHER somewhat-pricey gaming device on the market simultaneously in addition to PS5, PS5 Pro, PSVR2, and PS Portal? What are we asking for here, mid-'90s SEGA?
No one in the market actually cares about emulating PS1-3 games. Only a vocal minority on the internet and honestly these people also really don't care.
I care. I still play a lot of PS1 and 2 games on the regular. It's also worth doing because game preservation is kind of important. And, better for SIE to handle their own preservation than let outsiders run amuck doing it for them (often in nebulous ways, and for a platform that is definitely not PlayStation hardware in terms of benefiting from those emulation/preservation efforts).
You lot need to stop thinking something isn't worth pursuing just because it's a more dedicated niche. It'd also appear SIE disagrees with you going by some recent job listings
This is even worse than your PSVR2 streaming take.
So SIE giving console owners of their $549 VR headset that's seen native ports dry up, and hardware sales also dry up, in the span of only a year, a reason to get more use out of their $549 and not make them feel like they paid the cost of a console for a briefly supported add-on, is a bad idea?
Yeah, I'm sure SEGA probably felt very similar towards those SEGA CD and 32X owners as they were about to drop them like a hot potato to bring out their own even-more-expensive hardware of the time. We should ask them how that worked out for the Saturn
.
And yes, I've brought up SEGA a couple times throughout this, but unlike with you & Nintendo, my reason has purpose: it's to show the parallel in scenarios despite time separating them so greatly. In my case, also to serve as cautionary tales of perhaps what
NOT to do as a platform holder at these key timeline moments.
After all if you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it. Microsoft knows a little about that when it comes to gaming
.