ChuckeRearmed
Member
Depends on the price. In any case it won't do PSP numbers.
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How well do you expect the upcoming PlayStation handheld to do in the market?
Durin
Gold Member
Sure, ultimately new software support is the primary exciting thing to get purchases, but backwards compatibility is important secondary value, and even moreso because portability adds value to those older games.
All of these companies want you in their ecosystem, and to empower that ecosystem you should make all your previous accomplishments work on newer hardware so you have the most diversity of offerings against your competition. There is also no excuse since Sony is no longer doing cell-processor bespoke hardware, they're customizing off existing architecture standards since PS4, so it should just work with older generations. If Valve can make most of their library work on a handheld that runs Linux, and now pushing to translate ARM chips now too...Sony should be able to figure it out.
I also think given the diminished returns in graphics, the larger amount of time devs are supporting cross-gen, ports that scale to Switch 2, and improvements in upscaling tech for performance...you could indeed get most of that next-gen library working. Less and less AAA games can afford these big budgets to push fidelity, and third-party devs want to hit the largest audience possible, so I think it's possible to get $500-700 handheld to support most of the library, and make a small category for what can't.
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archvile7
Member
I don't buy this for a fucking second. Handhelds can't provide the sensation of playing DOOM (edit - Dark Ages) with a 500W surround sound system with dual subwoofers that shake the fucking room as you run around and fire your super shotgun which literally causes the couch to vibrate
No thanks, keep your handhelds
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Hyper_hyper
Member
PS Vita heavily relied on indie games, full fledged games for it were in minority basically. Hopefully next one will fix that issue.
That's a weird take. For one they're unlikely to try to market Playstation as "the most powerful console with the best experience". When have they ever done that even now when they currently could. Secondly how would the handheld prevent the experience from being the best or most powerful? Does a Steam Deck prevent that from happening currently on PC? Doesn't make sense.
Shadowstar39
Member
Horribly. This isn't psp era. Sony would have to release something lower powered and affordable. Something they forgot how to do. Also they would need to supply the ps1 and ps2 games, something they refuse to do. Psp, ps2, ps3 and vita could all play ps1 games bu apparently ps4 and ps5 Sony crippled. They only released a handful of titles and with no improvements.
Let me know when I can play my purchased vagrant story, megaan legends 1 and 2, alundra games again, legally.
Let me know when I can play my purchased vagrant story, megaan legends 1 and 2, alundra games again, legally.
kungfuian
Member
Have a sneaking suspicion they will release this next year and delay the PS6 to 28-29. A Portable/Dockable PS5+ type device could sell well if at $500 (NOT MORE) and could help them extend their PS5 platform momentum by at least a year or two. Or they go even cheaper and make a Portal 2 device which focuses more heavily on cloud (although I think such a device would sell worse).
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ReBurn
Gold Member
There's no way to tell at this point. If it plays all PS6 games I'd probably buy the handheld before I consider buying the console. If it doesn't play all PS6 games then I would rather have a console with a portal-type device like we have now. If it's focuses on PS5 and below, or god forbid has its own library, then I don't see the point of releasing it.
Hudo
Member
They've done it with PS5. Steam Deck situation is not really comparable because it's a portable PC. Sony's ecosystem is closed. And their handheld would introduce the same situation for Sony that the Xbox Series S did for Microsoft, which people on this very forum have cried about quite loudly. It's a variant that will be significantly weaker than the console counterpart because of battery life and heat dissipation concerns. Again, that is, if they demand that every game needs to run on every device (which they should, if they really go down this route).
I don't remember them marketing it as the most powerful but maybe somewhere they did. And the portable PS6 is a portable PS6 doesn't stop PS6 from being the most powerful or best console experience.
It can certainty stop certain games from coming to the platform if it's mandated but we don't know if it will be. It wouldn't make much of a difference if it were either because we're likely to get long crossgen periods where Series S and Switch 2 are the lowest common denominator not PS6 handheld.
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PeteBull
Member
Steamdeck still sits below 6m units today, hell maybe even below 5m, so 2nd place could mean 6 to 80m units sold, quite a range
Hideous Snake
Gold Member
It will have PlayStation name on it and that alone is your answer. Respectable second place is my vote
PeteBull
Member
Yups psp numbers aka 80m+ units sold is hard cap if sony does everything right( acceptable price of hardware and software, good batery life, no weird gimmicks, sizeable amount of high quality exclusives) and ninny does at least couple things wrong, aka best case scenario for sony.
I would say vita is worst case scenario for them so 15m units sold? It sold so terrible sony never gave any official sales numbers so even those 15m are only rough estimates, could be even fewer than this since last official number was 2,2m worldwide given by sony germany boss back in june 2012
FMN
Member
Really depends what their goals are. I believe portal was considered a success but it only sold like 2 million units. People talk up "PC handheld" but all combined they sold less than the Vita which was considered a failure.
That said I think it's going to sell poorly. Unlikely it's much cheaper than the PS6 and will probably even have a gimped library. It's digital only and will have no exclusives of it's own. Probably going to be large with poor battery life. I'd be surprised if it pulled Vita numbers since the base PS6 is going to be the default choice for most Sony enjoyers.
I got a kick out of the this though on the poll though. "Poor - it will be a complete washout, like Vita vs 3DS" - if it sold as much as the 3DS (76 million) it'd obliterate even the most optimistic projections.
That said I think it's going to sell poorly. Unlikely it's much cheaper than the PS6 and will probably even have a gimped library. It's digital only and will have no exclusives of it's own. Probably going to be large with poor battery life. I'd be surprised if it pulled Vita numbers since the base PS6 is going to be the default choice for most Sony enjoyers.
I got a kick out of the this though on the poll though. "Poor - it will be a complete washout, like Vita vs 3DS" - if it sold as much as the 3DS (76 million) it'd obliterate even the most optimistic projections.
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dgproject
Gold Member
at least better than vita sales... probably.
I am not sure about its success in Japan either since it will likely not support physical games, and most (if not all) japansese third parties are on switch 2 aniway.
On the other hand, PS portal already sold over 2 millions, so optimistically it will sell more than that.
I am not sure about its success in Japan either since it will likely not support physical games, and most (if not all) japansese third parties are on switch 2 aniway.
On the other hand, PS portal already sold over 2 millions, so optimistically it will sell more than that.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
It will perform better than the portal, probably better than VIta but not as well as PSP, imo.
I hope it does better than Vita.
I hope it does better than Vita.
Clintizzle
Lord of Edge.
Gamers have shown that power doesn't matter (Nintendo Switch 1 and 2)
Playstation Gamers have shown that Price Doesn't matter (Playstation Portal)
It'll do well.
Playstation Gamers have shown that Price Doesn't matter (Playstation Portal)
It'll do well.
crackajack
Member
Without knowing the price and its hopefully shared ecosystem, my crystal ball does not know shit.
It should help Sony in Japan and that could trigger a worldwide success, more than the niche Steamdeck and all Windows handheld so far have. Switch numbers are probably tough though.
Having again an actually great price like the Vita had (and people were already bitching about it), seems out of the question, and that is right now a hard place.
It might be too expensive for a kids toy. It might be uninteresting for grown ups that could afford it but rather play on big screen with the primary console.
If its a shared library sales numbers barely are important, anything above 0 would be good, when not subsidised like crazy.
So pointless to seriously think about before knowing what it wants to be and its price.
It should help Sony in Japan and that could trigger a worldwide success, more than the niche Steamdeck and all Windows handheld so far have. Switch numbers are probably tough though.
Having again an actually great price like the Vita had (and people were already bitching about it), seems out of the question, and that is right now a hard place.
It might be too expensive for a kids toy. It might be uninteresting for grown ups that could afford it but rather play on big screen with the primary console.
If its a shared library sales numbers barely are important, anything above 0 would be good, when not subsidised like crazy.
So pointless to seriously think about before knowing what it wants to be and its price.
protonion
Member
It will fail.
PSP was an anomaly due to revolutionary hardware at that time and insane hype.
Sony cannot sell handhelds, same way Nintendo cannot sell consoles.
Their games are not suitable for handheld gaming.
It will always been seen as a poor man's Playstation. It will be a waste of resources.
PSP was an anomaly due to revolutionary hardware at that time and insane hype.
Sony cannot sell handhelds, same way Nintendo cannot sell consoles.
Their games are not suitable for handheld gaming.
It will always been seen as a poor man's Playstation. It will be a waste of resources.
Hudo
Member
But devs have to target the weakest platform of the ecosystem, which will be the handheld. Unless Sony don't demand that all games run everywhere (which would be a mistake, imho).
For third-party games, yes. It would just prolong the situation that this forum cried about so much "Series S is holding back gaming", etc. (which is stupid anyway because the only thing that gets "held back" are graphics. And good graphics are boring nowadays. Only very few devs really use the power of current devices for neat gameplay shit). Cross-gen will be a thing anyway, whether Sony make a handheld or not.
In any case, I just don't see how a dedicated handheld will benefit Sony. Their first-party and ecosystem are not structured to support this. But maybe it will become clearer when they finally reveal this fucking thing.
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I just don't see the problem either way. If they don't mandate it what would make it different to a steam deck? It would just be a good way of playing a large portion of your PS5/PS6 library on the go so it would sell, maybe even better than the Portal and that's selling well. If they do mandate it yes it would maybe hold back games especially if it has some flaw like the low memory on Series S but the rumour is that it has 24GB which is pretty good. It wouldn't prevent PS6 from being the "most powerful or best experience" either way. You can still have that with or without mandatory handheld support and it applies to third party multiplatform games.
Hyet
Member
It won't do very well. It's a side project, so it won't be as supported as a the desktop PS and it will be expensive in a price sensitive context.
It will be competing with a platform Nintendo is putting everything behind and that will be cheaper.
I can see it doing a bit better than PSVR2 but I can hardly imagine being a market contender Nintendo has to take too seriously, but I welcome any pressure any company can put on Nintendo since their policies have been so stinky lately.
It will be competing with a platform Nintendo is putting everything behind and that will be cheaper.
I can see it doing a bit better than PSVR2 but I can hardly imagine being a market contender Nintendo has to take too seriously, but I welcome any pressure any company can put on Nintendo since their policies have been so stinky lately.
xrnzaaas
Member
It can't be cheap so probably a decent launch and not a sales hit. I am pretty sure it won't be enough for Sony, expecting similar sales figures to PS5. Abandoning the handheld after several years wouldn't surprise me, they've done it way faster with PSVR2, not even giving it a chance to grow and have a healthy userbase (partially thanks to first-party titles which don't exist).
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NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
I really don't know how a full-fledged handheld PlayStation could have a place in the market.
The PS crowd wants couch gaming at the best quality a living room console can offer at any given time. Movie games, big experiences to be lived on a big screen and with the best sound setup you can afford. This has always been what their exclusives are about. People rejected watered-down PS exclusives on the Vita because what they could get on their TV was so much better, and not that much more expensive. The portable PS instead is going to be very expensive, while still offering a poorer experience. It makes no sense to play PS exclusives that way and, therefore, it makes no sense at all. And if you want to play anything else, it's not like you can't get several pieces of hardware that can do that right now.
I don't see a reason for this thing to ever see the light of day. If it actually does, everything hinges on its price. But an affordable price will be synonymous with poor performance, there's no way around it.
The PS crowd wants couch gaming at the best quality a living room console can offer at any given time. Movie games, big experiences to be lived on a big screen and with the best sound setup you can afford. This has always been what their exclusives are about. People rejected watered-down PS exclusives on the Vita because what they could get on their TV was so much better, and not that much more expensive. The portable PS instead is going to be very expensive, while still offering a poorer experience. It makes no sense to play PS exclusives that way and, therefore, it makes no sense at all. And if you want to play anything else, it's not like you can't get several pieces of hardware that can do that right now.
I don't see a reason for this thing to ever see the light of day. If it actually does, everything hinges on its price. But an affordable price will be synonymous with poor performance, there's no way around it.
To me there's a huge difference between the ps portal streaming from ps cloud with ps plus premium or ps5/pro at $200 (now $250) and an actual standalone portable at maybe $800+.
Saber
Newd Member
Wouldn't work. Likely crush by Nintendo, specially on Japan where people stay far away from their games. And the promise of playing their own exclusive games will not do them any favor.
Huge difference between Nintendo exclusives and Playstation, would be stupid to pretend otherwise.
Huge difference between Nintendo exclusives and Playstation, would be stupid to pretend otherwise.
FMN
Member
It was just really bad timing releasing a handheld when the masses were buying their first smart phones. The 4gb memory card it shipped with was silly too. You had like 400mb free after installing Uncharted lol. Bamboozling early adopters into paying $120 for 32gb memory cards didn't help the word of mouth.
Soon as it wasn't a smash hit they just abandoned it. Despite that it still had a high software attach rate because it was a really sweet piece of tech and the support of fringe 3rd party devs and indies keeping it alive.
Hector Hall
Member
I don't think it will sell very well, maybe 15 million, maybe 20. But those numbers will add to the game console and reinforce PS in Japan, so it will be positive.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I voted respectable second place but I think it will sell more closer to the vita/3DS than the PSP but I wouldn't consider that a complete washout but quite respectable.
The big question is Japan - how much of the Switch domination is the form factor versus just preference for Nintendo.
The big question is Japan - how much of the Switch domination is the form factor versus just preference for Nintendo.
Donald mac Ronald
Member
I think a portable ps6 is Sony getting high on their own farts and arrogance.
They must be completely oblivious to the blowback of the series s.
They must be completely oblivious to the blowback of the series s.
Sooner
Member
Series S existed for a completely different reason than a PS6 portable. This is not a logical comparison.
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
It will be a complete failure.
This.
A Steam Deck can play almost the entire PC games librarary, a Switch 2 is compatible with its predecessor which has a big library of its own.
So what's the PS6 Portable going to be compatible with? PS6 games plus a selection of compatible digital PS4/PS5 games? And will this PS Portable become what Xbox Series S has been for Xbox fans: an anchor keeping the entire platform down?
To the marketing team having to explain which games do and do not work natively.
This.
A Steam Deck can play almost the entire PC games librarary, a Switch 2 is compatible with its predecessor which has a big library of its own.
So what's the PS6 Portable going to be compatible with? PS6 games plus a selection of compatible digital PS4/PS5 games? And will this PS Portable become what Xbox Series S has been for Xbox fans: an anchor keeping the entire platform down?
DeltaPolarBear
Member
You are forgetting that most of us expects a crossgen period of 5 years. So whatever runs on PS6 would mostly run on PS5 too. It will take a long time for next gen to have a healthy base, which means a long time before third parties would consider abandoning PS5.
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