One of the big surprises of the PlayStation Showcase was, without a doubt, the presentation of the PlayStation Project Q. However, Sony only showed the console, without giving any other details or specific date beyond a launch sometime later in the year. . After a few days, some rumors about Sony’s non-portable console have been leaking, and the truth is that, if fulfilled, they do not bode well.
Go ahead that PlayStation Project Q is not a console in itself, but a local streaming game player receiving data from PlayStation 5 to which it is connected. A kind of controller with a screen that makes use of the Remote Play functions that mobile devices also have, but in an obviously more comfortable way. Halfway between a PS Vista and a DualSense, but without the ability to run games natively.
This means that you will not only have to have purchased the game (or downloaded from a subscription), it also forces you to have the PS5 turned onsince this console is the one that runs the game and sends the data to PlayStation Project Q.
PlayStation Project Q would arrive with a very limited battery
Now two important data have come to light that break a little with the possibilities of Sony’s portable “console”. The first, PlayStation Project Q would offer a fairly limited battery. According to rumors, around 4 hours long. An unconfirmed fact that has been like a jug of cold water for those who wanted to get hold of the console. In fact, the PlayStation Project Q would follow the same steps as the DualSense Edge: those of an excellent device weighed down by a very low battery.
This puts the PlayStation device far behind the rest of the alternatives on the market. The Nintendo Switch OLED has a battery life that can last between 4.5 and 9 hours, while Steam Deck lasts between two and eight hours. And all this keeping in mind that both the Switch and the Deck are full consoles rather than an accessory that just runs games remotely.
The price will be the determining factor for the success of Playstation Project Q
The other pending unknown is the price. Here Sony is in a difficult position. A device (not a console), with a very limited battery, without the ability to run games directly, with a 1080p screen and that needs, if or if a PS5 cannot hit the market, a price close to that of the Switch. Or it will be very difficult to convince potential users.
Now, Sony always puts quite a quality device on the market, so the PlayStation Project Q is not expected to be cheap either. Rumors point to a price close to that of the Edge, around 250 euros. Perhaps within that strip his weakest points remain in the background, although it is not entirely clear if he would be able to convince.
What is also not particularly clear is who really is the market niche that Sony is targeting with its PlayStation Project Q. Be that as it may, the company’s goal is to launch the PlayStation Project Q this year. At the moment, it does not have a release date, but it should not surprise us if it sees the light in the last quarter; just before Christmas or, being somewhat more optimistic, accompanied by its great exclusive for 2023: Spider-Man 2.