Speaker 1: Sony just announced a brand new handheld gaming device, codenamed Project Q. It’s an eight inch tablet jammed between what looks like a PlayStation five’s dual sense controller that’s been snapped in half. It’s coming later this year and will allow you to stream any game from your PS five using remote play over wifi. This reveal happened during Sony’s 2023 PlayStation showcase, an hour long live stream the company put out on May 24th in place of their typical series [00:00:30] of E three related announcements. E three is the gaming industry’s biggest annual trade show, but what’s canceled back in March after a series of companies pulled out from the show. Since then, many console manufacturers, game developers and publishers have announced their own media events in replacement of the larger convention, and Sony kicked things off first
Speaker 2: At PlayStation. Innovation is our passion, and that applies to not just what games you play, but how you play them. Later this year, [00:01:00] we will launch a dedicated device
Speaker 1: That’s Sony Interactive Entertainment, c E O, Jim Ryan announcing the new accessory near the end of their already jam-packed presentation. Project. Q’S eight inch screen is a high definition L C D display, and it sits between what appears to be the standard PS five dual sense controller, albeit missing the touchpad. Let me know when the comments, what you think of its design. Jim Ryan promised the device will have all the same features of the dual sense, meaning the hyper-specific [00:01:30] vibration functionality we’ve come to expect should be present here as well. The main focus here is the remote play aspect. It’s highly unlikely this device will have any form of offline play. This means you won’t be able to take it on the go and play your games locally. It’ll need an internet connection, and you’ll have to have a PS five to pair it to Axios.
Speaker 1: Reporter Steven Patillo quoted that the device requires broadband internet with at least five megabits per second for use. For a better [00:02:00] play experience, a high speed connection of at least 15 megabits per second is recommended. He added that. The lower end is what PlayStation now required on consoles. Higher end is similar to Xbox Cloud mobile recommendations. Think of Project Q, more like a better version of the, we use gamepad and less like the Nintendo Switch, or even Sony’s last handheld, the PlayStation Vita. This is a device meant to be used in your home while the TV is otherwise occupied. [00:02:30] Or maybe you want to play games in bed and don’t wanna set up a console and TV in your bedroom. With that said, remote play for the PlayStation exists already through use with a computer or even a phone or tablet. And considering you can pair a PS five controller to your PC or phone and play remotely that way it remains to be seen what additional benefit Project Q will have to justify its price. That price point, by the way, hasn’t been announced yet.
Speaker 2: We look forward to sharing more information in the near future,
Speaker 1: [00:03:00] But if we look at some of the more recent PlayStation accessories, we can guess it won’t be cheap. Launched in February, the PlayStation VR two retails for around $550. Back in January, Sony released the Dual Cents Edge Pro Controller for 200. Even the PlayStation five itself got a price increase last summer in many regions outside of the United States. There’s also a question of longevity. When we look back at PlayStation’s previous handhelds, the Vita and P S P, [00:03:30] both handhelds failed to make huge waves in the market. Due to the limited support from first and third party game developers in Project Q’s favor is that it won’t need to sit on its own as it exists simply as an additional accessory. So PlayStation won’t have to directly support it for it to thrive. As long as the PS five continues to get great games, there will be great games to play on Project Q. No release date has been announced. In addition to the gaming handheld, Jim Ryan continued with the announcement of [00:04:00] Sony’s first ever pair of PlayStation earbuds,
Speaker 2: Which will bring next generation audio immersion to PS five and pc.
Speaker 1: He continued mentioning that they will also connect to smartphones and deliver Lossless audio with no latency, promising outstanding sound quality while gaming. Sony went on to mention that the Buds will feature new wireless technology developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and more details will come in the months ahead. These aren’t the first audio accessories for the PS five [00:04:30] released. Alongside the launch of the console was the Pulse 3D wireless headset. We’ll have to wait and see how these new earbuds compare. Like the handheld, no release window or price was mentioned. So what are your thoughts on Project Q and the accompanying earbuds? Do you see these accessories fitting into your gaming setup? Let me know how, and thanks for watching.
