Sony is rumoured to develop a new handheld gaming console

The handheld business may soon become quite fascinating when major console makers other than Nintendo enter the market. Following the rumours regarding Xbox portable devices, a fresh report claims that Sony is also working on a handheld gaming system, allowing PlayStation players to carry their games on the move.

According to Bloomberg, Sony is actively boosting its hardware resources to create a portable console. According to reports, this device is still in early stages of development and will be powerful enough to play PlayStation 5 games. It's unclear whether this is intended to give performance comparable to a base PlayStation 5, or merely play the same games in a lower-spec format, similar to how Microsoft's Xbox Series S handles things.

According to various sources, the initiative aims to take a slice out of Nintendo's handheld industry, which it has dominated for many years since the Switch's launch. Despite its popularity, the Switch's ageing technology prevents it from playing most recent games; however, a replacement with stronger Nvidia hardware is expected soon. If a new PlayStation portable is in development, it will be a strong competitor to the new Switch.

Sony has apparently begun developing its recently introduced 8-inch PlayStation Portal portable as a standalone gaming device, comparable to Valve's Steam Deck handheld computer. However, plans were revised to make it a local streaming-only accessory, with cloud gaming capabilities coming soon. It is stated that the PlayStation 5 game-capable hardware builds on the lessons learnt from the Portal portable.

According to Bloomberg, the new handheld is likely to take years to launch, and the business may abandon the idea entirely if the plan fails. But now that Microsoft has pretty much confirmed its own Xbox portable ambitions, Sony is sure to have an answer by the time that one is available as well.