Sony has formally confirmed it’s engaged on a PlayStation handheld to make it simpler to play your PS5 video games. It was introduced throughout Wednesday’s PlayStation Showcase and known as Venture Q.

“We’ll launch a devoted system that allows you to stream any sport out of your PS5 console utilizing Distant Play over Wi-Fi,” PlayStation boss Jim Ryan stated in the course of the PlayStation Showcase. “Internally generally known as ‘Venture Q,’ it has an 8-inch HD display screen and the entire buttons and options of the DualSense wi-fi controller.”

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Extra particularly, it’ll have an LCD display screen operating video games at as much as 1080p and 60fps over Wi-Fi, based on a Sony press launch, and can characteristic each the adaptive triggers and haptic suggestions of the DualSense. The Q handheld is ready to launch later this yr, similar to the PlayStation Bluetooth earbuds introduced Wednesday, although Sony didn’t say precisely when or how a lot the brand new system may cost a little.

In keeping with the wonderful print on the backside of Sony’s presentation, video games you play on the Q have to be put in on a PlayStation 5 console itself — it’s apparently designed as a companion on your personal PS5, not one thing that may play video games natively like a Steam Deck or cellphone and even stream them from the cloud.

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Nevertheless, Sony is without doubt one of the foremost corporations with a cloud gaming service, one it presently appears to be overhauling based mostly on the various job postings we dug up, so it’s potential that the Q provides cloud gaming at a later date. It could appear bizarre to omit companies that make Sony extra money.

Sony’s temporary tease didn’t handle whether or not you’d have the ability to use the Q to stream video games outdoors of your home: Sony’s Distant Play does presently assist connections over mobile, although you would possibly have to tether it to a cellphone or hotspot since Sony has solely talked about Wi-Fi.

Rumors in regards to the handheld first surfaced earlier this yr due to a report from Insider Gaming. That report nailed rather a lot in regards to the system, together with that it depends on Distant Play and wouldn’t be a cloud gaming system, the 8-inch LCD display screen, the DualSense resemblance, and the utmost decision and body charge. The report additionally stated the hand-held was codenamed the Q Lite — I’d say the Venture Q title is shut sufficient.

With Venture Q, Sony appears to be responding to the elevated reputation of handhelds with its personal providing. The Nintendo Swap has been an absolute smash hit, in fact, however with newer entrants like Valve’s Steam Deck and Asus’ ROG Ally, we’re seeing a number of methods to play extra trendy video games on newer {hardware} than the growing older Swap. In a basic Sony transfer, Venture Q has its personal quirk in that it could actually solely stream video games over Wi-Fi, however if you happen to’re on the lookout for a Sony-made approach to play the newest PlayStation video games on a handheld, you would possibly wish to put some cash apart for Venture Q.

If you wish to strive Distant Play to stream video games out of your PS5, you don’t want to attend for Sony’s handheld. Most any iPhone, Android cellphone, Home windows, or Mac can do it, and there’s even a Linux app you may load onto the Steam Deck referred to as Chiaki.