Sony Interactive Entertainment, the gaming subsidiary of Sony Group Corp., is currently developing a new handheld console that features support for PlayStation 5 games. The news, which stems from Bloomberg’s sources, is said to be aimed at expanding Sony’s reach in the gaming market, designed to compete with not only the Nintendo Switch (and, presumably, its successor), but Microsoft’s future Xbox handheld—a new piece of hardware that Phil Spencer recently confirmed was in the early stages of development. The PlayStation Portal, an 8-inch handheld that allows users to stream PS5 games, was released by Sony in 2023 and remains available for $199.99.
Building a mobile device that’s capable of directly playing PS5 games would potentially make Sony’s software more accessible and appealing to a wider audience. The company has taken several steps in recent times in that direction, including making a bigger push into mobile and PC gaming as well as live-service titles.