The PS5 has caused many gamers around the world to lose their minds with excitement, though it’s news of a PSP 5G handheld that has the Retro Dodo team’s ears quivering.
Those lucky enough to have already obtained Sony’s next-generation gaming monster will undoubtedly be revelling in the best PS5 games that the console has to offer. With supreme 4K graphics and insane speeds, the PS5 truly is a gaming behemoth.
Regular readers may already know that the Nintendo Switch 2, dubbed the Nintendo Switch Pro, is hot on the heels of the Sony and Microsoft next-gen consoles.
But falling behind in the graphics race isn’t the only thing that Ninty needs to worry about. News of a new Sony PSP 5G handheld has been gaining traction ever since the PS5’s release, which could mean the end of the Nintendo Switch’s reign!
Everything We Know About The PSP 5G
What Is The PSP?
The PSP is a horizontal handheld games console made by Sony. It’s the 10th best selling console of all time, sitting neatly between the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo 3DS.
When Was The PSP Released?
March 4th, 2005.
We’ve spent hours playing the best PSP games over the years, and the prospect of a new 5G remake coming to the fold has made us extremely excited.
Just imagine playing Ghosts of Tsushima or Horizon: Forbidden West on the go!
How Would The PSP 5G Work?
The PSP 5G is rumoured to be a cloud0based gaming platform.
Rather than slotting in a whole host of games, the PSP 5G will seamlessly stream games from a cloud-based server. I’m not talking about the clouds that the God of War chills out on; we’re talking a virtual server that can be accessed remotely, anywhere in the world!
5G networks run as silky smooth as water off a Psyduck’s back, and gamers will have the ability to play their favourite games lag free on the bus, in the park, or under the desk at work.
Take a moment to think about playing Resident Evil: Village in an Uber or knocking back spells on Hogwarts Legacy while sneaking into the actual Gryffindor common room!
Where Has News Of The PSP 5G Come From?
We first picked up the scent of the PSP 5G back in 2018. Sony remains a huge player in the smartphone world and competes with the likes of Apple and Samsung for our hungry tech-obsessed allegiance.
The company has proven to be one of the frontrunners in the 5G game, with a goal of developing a competent 5G network available across the entire Sony Group.
The whole ‘next-gen’ cloud-based gaming notion stems from a patent that Sony filed in the run up to the PS5 release. It points to the very real possibility of a dual-GPU PS5 Pro console on the horizon.
While many readers are still trying to find a PS5 and the best PS5 panels to go with it, the notion of another new console may not be something to get too excited about.
The potential cloud-based gaming capabilities linked to the pro console interest us greatly, however!
The Patent Reveals All
The official Sony patent tells us that ‘SoC technology (that’s ‘system-on-chip consoles) can be applied to video simulation consoles such as game consoles. In particular, a single SoC may be provided for a ‘light’ version of the console, while plural SoCs may be used to provide a “high-end” version of the console with greater processing and storage capability than the ‘light’ version’.
So what does this mean?
Well, at the moment, not a right lot! We’re deep in speculation territory at the minute, but it’s interesting to think where this cloud-based 5G gaming network could lead.
Sony are just about the hottest name in the gaming world right now, but don’t forget that the Nintendo Switch has been the best selling console month-on-month for the past three years now bar just two months!
With a 5G network ready and waiting and a new console set to break records, why wouldn’t Sony take on Ninty in all-out handheld war?
Gamers accessing PS4 and PS5 titles anywhere without carrying a stack of games around? It sounds like a slice of gaming heaven!
What Does This Mean For Nintendo?
We already believe that The Nintendo Switch Pro is a home console only. That means that Nintendo could well lose their ranking as the best selling console, and indeed the best handheld console, of the past few years.
Of course, that’s just a theory.
The PS5 Pro may eventually share cloud-based gaming subscriptions with the PSP 5G, but the original Switch still holds the accolade of being the only handheld/home console hybrid to date.
Should they start worrying? I don’t think so, quite yet.
What Features Will The New Handheld Have?
To stick with modern devices such as the mobiles in Sony’s smartphone range, the new PSP 5G will undoubtedly be slimmer than the original PSP with a much bigger screen and touchscreen controls.
A camera would also be a nice touch, though this may understandably detract from Sony’s smartphone sales.
As to whether the new handheld will ship with removable controllers, the answer is probably not. If Sony does try to take down Nintendo, they won’t want to make a direct copy of the Switch. They hold graphics above all else, and playing Miles Morales on one of the mockup screes above would look so sick!
Are We Likely To See The New PSP 5G Handheld Any Time Soon?
We’ve been down this road many times before, and more often than not, digging into patents leaves us disappointed.
Still, the theory behind the rumours is sound, and if any company is going to try and topple Nintendo from champions podium, then Sony are most likely to have a crack at it.
Fresh off the success of a new console and with a cloud-gaming pro console heading to the table; it would certainly make sense to complete the set with a new handheld to compliment their new 5G network plans.
Alas, gamers can but dream for now, though we will be sure to update our readers with more information as and when we get it.
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 31 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
