PlayStation Fans Are Losing Their Heads Over an Iffy Portable PS4 Rumour | Push Square
pushsquare.comThere’s an unsubstantiated rumour increasingly gaining traction on social media which claims Sony is on the verge of releasing a new handheld device which will play PS4 games natively. The source – which has been widely reported on by gaming media – appears to stem from a single Russian social media account, and has been retweeted thousands of times. We’ve been unable to corroborate the story.
The speculation suggests that Sony is plotting a new PSP-esque platform which will be compatible with the entire PS4 library and “select” PS5 games which are patched to support the system. It follows a “boom” in handheld interest, with the likes of the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally appealing enormously to enthusiast gamers. Xbox is also rumoured to be introducing a handheld into its product portfolio.
Despite the excitement among core players, however, it’s worth noting that these devices aren’t selling in tremendously high numbers; Valve says it’s sold “multiple millions” Steam Deck devices, estimated to be a little over three million units by the end of 2023. These aren’t staggering sales statistics by any degree.
The insinuation with this newly rumoured portable PlayStation is that there’d be no software specifically developed for it; instead, it’d just play existing titles released for PS4 on the PS Store. To us, it doesn’t sound like a particularly compelling proposition, and we’re far from convinced this would slot into Sony’s plans – especially when it’s focused on promoting PS5 titles these days.
Despite the sheer amount of activity surrounding this rumour online, then, we’re going to say it’s almost certainly not true. PS Portal has proven there’s room for a handheld in Sony’s product portfolio, as despite initial scepticism from fans, it’s sold above expectations. We’d expect PlayStation to continue to iterate on this idea moving forward, as opposed to building an expensive, battery-draining standalone unit.
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