Mibu no ookami
Either stay on topic or put me on Ignore if you're so afraid of a dissenting opinion that doesn't lick the taint of every decision a platform holder might be making. Otherwise I'm not dignifying a response that keeps running to "lolz ur postz qualiteeez" as if that's a legitimate response to the topic at hand.
No one really asked for that. A portable PS4 would get trounced by the next switch.
Sony is already spread thin, I'd really prefer if they focused on the PS5.
I think it's a good idea in theory. In practice tho, considering it may not get many current-gen games that aren't GAAS or sports titles, and might require more work from devs to optimize a build that can run games targeting PS5 spec on it, that already presents a complication.
So with no guarantee it'd get all or even most current-gen releases (at least Day 1), the likelihood SIE's own 1P studios don't have cross-gen games in the works anymore (outside of MLB and continued support for GT7), the price has to be right. I mainly see it as a device to get current PS4 owners into the PS5 hardware ecosystem, but those types are going to be more price-sensitive.
In other words this thing can't be more than $299, it'd need to have full PS4 native support, PS4 Pro-level performance with some dock attachment, and likely phase out the Portal. Or, market it as a Portal that can natively play PS4 games, even though the selling point of the portal is to stream PS5 games.
Some people don't like me bringing up the SEGA comparison but I do think that's an inherent risk with all this different gaming hardware coming from Sony in such a short span of time. PS5, PSVR2, PS Portal, maybe a PS4 Portable or PS Portal 2....
A PS6-based portable would be a lot more interesting at this point, IMO. And, easier to market for clarity as a complementary or companion device to the PS6.
The thing is: imagine Sony releases their PS PC store featuring cross-buy + cross-save + cross-play + shared trophies + shared friendlist and chat between their PC and PS stores.
PC players will see that if they buy a game there also have it on PS and vicecersa: if bought some of these games in PS also will have it on PC. Plus will have the trophies and PS friends there, plus being able to continue their progress.
If Sony uses crossbuy and cross-save only on PS, their library and userbase could be a massive asset and weapon against Steam. This, mixed with the huge popularity of Sony games and the massive support they have with 3rd parties could make PC PSN the first serious contender for Steam.
You've mentioned this before, but I'll ask the same question now as back then: how does Sony implement cross-buy without negatively impacting their software revenue or profits? Cross-buy as you describe it, which is basically how Xbox does it, eliminates the double-dip incentive. A lot of people dislike it, but the way I see it, even without a financial argument, double-dipping can be useful in development of additional content and features for platforms where the game releases later, and that overall adds to the game experience over time. I don't think a division focused on profit margin improvements like SIE are going to cut into software revenue and profits with wholesale cross-buy, especially if they don't think most 3P publishers will follow suit.
Or also, if they feel them doing so would pressure 3P partners into a business model they'd rather not do. SIE still have to consider things related to what 3P partners might want, after all. I suggested it would be better if a person buying the game on one platform get a discount towards getting a version on another platform within the ecosystem. If Sony get their cloud gaming stuff going at wider scale, they can also apply this towards cloud versions of games on supported platforms like mobile which may not have native versions of those games available on them.
The other stuff tho, like shared continued progress (and I guess tropies), would make sense to do and would probably be expected at this point. They (Sony) would need more than what you're suggesting to really contest Steam, though. And I'd argue the things they
really need (integrated community forums, a better refund policy, transparent game engagement metrics & tracking, better mod support etc.), should be prioritized for their console hardware, not a PC launcher. At least, not for a good while.