PlayStation Showcase 2023 proved to be an interesting one. Alongside new footage for the likes of Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI, the reveal of the long-rumoured Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake, and several notable omissions from the line-up, Sony officially revealed its newest piece of hardware - the mysterious and previously rumoured Project Q.
Project Q allows players to stream games from their PS5 consoles over WiFi using the PlayStation remote play app, bringing the console experience to a handheld device. However, the company is yet to state whether any Project Q exclusive titles will be made available.
Additionally, the console will include all the features of the DualSense 5 controller, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
“At PlayStation, innovation is our passion, and that applies not just to what games you play, but how you play them,” said PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.
Important Q’s
Project Q comes fresh on the heels of the reveal of the Backbone One - Android edition earlier this week, a new mobile peripheral which allows players to use the remote play app on their phones, as well as aggregating a variety of different gaming services and the two would appear to share many of the same characteristics.
The Q goes one further, of course, in that it's a stand-alone Sony-made and branded device with its own eight inch HD display. It’s currently unconfirmed whether this will be a touch screen, however the DualSense 5 does feature some touch interaction and as such it’s possible that this will be included, and that PlayStation may develop Q-exclusive games which utilise one more heavily.
Project Q may give some further indication of the company’s mobile gaming ambitions, and potentially host mobile games released by the PlayStation label.
Of the three main players in the console space, PlayStation has long been a runner-up to Nintendo in the handheld space, with Nintendo leveraging its slate of IPs while offering a variety of additional features.
Interestingly, the shift towards cloud gaming comes in the wake of the CMA’s decision to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard due to its concerns about how the deal could affect cloud gaming.
What does this mean for mobile gaming? Should Project Q indeed host the company’s mobile titles, as well as games specifically designed for the device, it’s possible that these games could include the use of DualSense 5 features such as haptic feedback.
Earlier this year, rumours began circling that the blockbuster Horizon franchise is eyeing a mobile debut.
