[GameSpot] - Project Q - Release Date Window, Price, And Everything We Know About Sony's New PlayStation Handheld

[343iBot]

At long last, Sony has a new handheld gaming console on the way. Kind of. Revealed at the PlayStation Showcase in May, Project Q is a streaming device that can transmit PS5 games directly from the console and onto its screen. Sony is entering cloud gaming territory that Microsoft has had a major presence in for years, but Sony has its work cut out for it when it comes to marketing this hardware and convincing consumers as to why it's better than a tablet or smartphone using Remote Play and a Bluetooth-tethered controller.

Project Q only got a brief shoutout at the PlayStation Showcase, but some interesting information is available ahead of a bigger reveal from Sony later this year.

Release date

There's no exact date yet for Project Q, but Sony has confirmed that it will launch "later" this year. A report from Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson claims that the device will launch in November.

Project Q price

Another unknown, Project Q's price remains a mystery for now. Sony hardware can be expensive, as the PS5 console got a price increase in select markets and the PSVR 2 kit sells for $550 on its own, so it's likely that Project Q will be sold at a premium price. For comparison, a Nintendo Switch OLED model has an MSRP of $350, a Steam Deck starts from $500, and Logitech's G Cloud gaming handheld console is usually $350.

Project Q specs

Since its streaming from a PS5 using remote play, Project Q doesn't need to field fancy internals that'll keep the Asus ROG Ally awake at night. What we do know is that it has an 8-inch HD LCD screen, which is a whole inch more than what the Steam Deck offers. According to Game Awards host Geoff Keighley, the screen is 1080p with a 60Hz refresh rate, which should help render a sharp image at that screen size factor.

As for the battery, it's rumored that you'll get around three to four hours of play time from a full charge, which isn't too surprising. The other noticeable part of Project Q's build is the controller, which looks like a DualSense that has been chopped in half and attached to each side of the display. The only thing missing here is the DualSense touchpad, and it's not clear how those functions will be incorporated into Project Q's design.

Unlike the more integrated designs of the Steam Deck, Switch, and ROG Alloy, this interface sports a DualSense-inspired design and has light piping vertically across each grip. Additionally, it has all of the buttons and features of a DualSense wireless controller.

How Project Q works

You'll still need to own a PS5 if you want to use Project Q, and any games you want to play on it must be installed on your console. Once you've met those requirements, you can stream games from your PS5 to the handheld console using Remote Play over Wi-Fi. You won't be able to stream virtual reality games through it, so PlayStation VR 2 owners are out of luck here.

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