Portable PS5? *spawn*

[Charlietus]

Why would it cost $400? I'm thinking more a $400 NSW2 that plays GTA VI versus a $150-200 PS4P that plays Fortnite better than NSW and Chromebooks.


It'd be for a different audience I think. Think an entry-level priced PS4 that's also a handheld. It'd sell as an entry-level console, like XBSS.

Well that's the thing. If Sony go for a premium price, a PS4 Portable makes zero sense. It only makes sense IMO as an entry-level machine. Sony would make their money selling content - 30% cut on in game consumables plus PSN subs - along with extending their ecosystem. It wouldn't necessarily be a big money-maker but it would disrupt Nintendo's handheld monopoly and go toe-to-toe with a price reduced NSW1. That said, I expect NSW sells more as a kids toy and PS won't have the child-friendly library on Nintendo.

The deck is about 400$ and the GPU power isn't even on par with the PS4. It would be impossible to make it 200$ unless they were losing 200$ or more per device. They don't want a PS3 2.0.

All of it for a device that wouldn't even play PS5 games to support first party games.

 

[Lurkmass]

A portable PS4 would get destroyed by the media, a 400$ (?) piece of hardware that can only play PS4 games while Nintendo comes out at the same price and supports GTA 6 or something? It would be ridiculed more than the portal.

They either support PS5 games or they shouldn't even try.

$400 USD vs above PS4 perf vs portability

Pick two out the three from the listed options as there is likely no system that will complete the impossible trinity ...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Isn't NSW2 going to manage that though? Or are you thinking a $500+ system?

 

[Charlietus]

Isn't NSW2 going to manage that though? Or are you thinking a $500+ system?

Switch is going to be 400$ for sure. It also is going to get native ports of games, so unless this new PSP is a new console with it's own new devkit, the situation will be different.

 

[Charlietus]

I also want to add, that if it's true that for PS5 pro, developers can add pssr (and change the game rendering resolution?) without updating to the latest SDK, maybe they could make a whitelist of games from PS5 and PS4 that got modified (with reduced res and pssr) that work on the portable. That would be a lot of manual patching and testing.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Switch is going to be 400$ for sure

For a more powerful system than a PS4 Portable, no? While PS4 is ten year old tech.

 

[Jubei]

Well that's the thing. If Sony go for a premium price, a PS4 Portable makes zero sense. It only makes sense IMO as an entry-level machine. Sony would make their money selling content - 30% cut on in game consumables plus PSN subs - along with extending their ecosystem. It wouldn't necessarily be a big money-maker but it would disrupt Nintendo's handheld monopoly and go toe-to-toe with a price reduced NSW1. That said, I expect NSW sells more as a kids toy and PS won't have the child-friendly library on Nintendo.”

How do you see it disrupting Nintendos monopoly? There is very little cross over between the customer bases. People who bought Switch did it for Zelda, Mario and the other Nintendo games. Everything else was just extra. NSW2 will be Nintendos main console so there will be a large amount of exclusive first party games released on it, and if it sells like the first Switch, it will create a user base large enough for third party to make the effort to port PS5/PC games for it

But a PS4 portable that can only play your PS4 backlog? I mean if it's cheap enough it could sell like those retro NES consoles but eventually that wears off and people will want new content. Meanwhile Steam Deck plays Helldivers and other PS5 games..

 

[Charlietus]

For a more powerful system than a PS4 Portable, no? While PS4 is ten year old tech.

Memory bandwidth is going to be a problem (120ish vs 170 gb/s) but switch 2 will have a smarter GPU with ai upscaling and better architecture. Meanwhile a PS4 portable would have to brute force PS4 code. So that means matching the memory bandwidth. That would be costly. I just find this rumour hard to believe.

 

[Lurkmass]

Isn't NSW2 going to manage that though? Or are you thinking a $500+ system?

I have yet to see ANY ultra portable devices out there that can meet all three of those qualities either way ...

You're already looking at a $500+ price tag in the vast majority of cases if you're shopping for mobile phone with 12GB+ LPDDR5 equipped with an SoC that's manufactured on advanced process nodes (4/5nm).

Most portable systems in the price range of $400 are deficient and potentially in multiple ways (sustained CPU/GPU perf/smaller memory pool) to ever be compatible with current generation AAA content even if some (Deck for instance) tries to offset one disadvantage (process tech) with another one (double/triple size/weight) ...

In comparison, we have platforms (Series S) that entirely trade-off portability so that they can install bigger die sizes on older/cheaper process technology and then clock the SoC to the heavens to achieve high compatibility with current generation AAA content ...

Pick your poison (high price/no compatibility/no portability) as a vendor ...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

How do you see it disrupting Nintendos monopoly?

If cheap enough it'll provide those who want Fortnite et al in a handheld with something much better than Switch but not as expensive as NSW2 or Steam Deck.

You're already looking at a $500+ price tag in the vast majority of cases if you're shopping for mobile phone with 12GB+ LPDDR5 equipped with an SoC that's manufactured on advanced process nodes (4/5nm

So you are thinking $500 for any other handheld?

Most portable systems in the price range of $400 are deficient and potentially in multiple ways (sustained CPU/GPU perf/smaller memory pool) to ever be compatible with current generation AAA content

Yes .That's why I'm thinking a PS4 level portable sort of works as the only way to get the price down while still providing something of value, a notable upgrade to the NSW for those wanting to play the GaaS staples.

The moment you want a platform that plays current and future games, you need an expensive platform and now everyone's going toe-to-toe with Nintendo. Where Ninty have the cost advantage (using lesser tech and still being 'current gen') and the entrenched brand.

 

[MrSpiggott]

Is there really a call for a portable PS4? Is the demand for playing PS4, or any other established consoles games on the move in reasonable numbers really there? I've owned various portable consoles over the years, but none of them ever left the house. Now it's possible I'm an outlier, but I bought them because they had games I couldn't play anywhere else.

Completely unscientific, subjective observations incoming.
I've just returned from two weeks in Japan, and from the dozens of train journeys at various times of the day, I noticed two Switches being used. Obviously the Switch has sold in huge numbers, but is it being bought as a portable device, or because it hosts some really good games?

Of the more than 20 years I've been visiting Japan on holiday I have noticed portable devices being used. DS's and PSP's used to be everywhere, then a few Vita's and lastly sliding block puzzle games on phones, but now outdoor entertainment seems to be dominated by video streaming apps such as youtube and ticktock. Fashions change.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Is there really a call for a portable PS4? Is the demand for playing PS4

Maybe not.

Of the more than 20 years I've been visiting Japan on holiday I have noticed portable devices being used. DS's and PSP's used to be everywhere, then a few Vita's and lastly sliding block puzzle games on phones, but now outdoor entertainment seems to be dominated by video streaming apps such as youtube and ticktock. Fashions change.

Nintendo are somewhat betting the farm on this. Or is that just intending to sell Nintendo games with a hardware access requirement?

 

[MrSpiggott]

Maybe not.

Nintendo are somewhat betting the farm on this. Or is that just intending to sell Nintendo games with a hardware access requirement?

My guess is the latter. They make a profit on the software and a profit on the hardware. When it's fitted to a dock, it's essentially no different to owning and playing on a stationary console like a PS4, and so can perhaps be thought of as one if that's what you want.

It might be interesting to have a little survey. Of all the people who own a Switch here, how many of them take it out and about?

 

[eastmen]

As a high end gaming device, sure. What about a cheaper option though? If game streaming to phones isn't hugely popular, which Switch still shows there's a handheld market, is there room for a... $150 Portable PS that plays the PS4 library? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Even if not, a portable PS will likely be a different proposition to the Switch2 as that's the home console for Nintendo. Sony already has their home console so a portable would be something else, like a Switch for PS, cheap, portable, plugs into a TV. Plus it would play the F2P games better than the Chromebooks being discussed elsewhere. If cheap enough, it might have its niche. Although Sony isn't into 'cheap' these days. PSVR2 is their last adventure into generosity. As PSPortal would be immediately redundant as the PS4Portable would serve the same role while also being a full console.

high end gaming device ?

how much do you think it will cost ? The windows portables / deck start at $400 or lower. They all play ps5 games.

I don't really see what a $150 device that plays ps4 games will really do for them. They oculdn't even make the portal $150 and that can't even play ps4 games natively

 

[Shifty Geezer]

high end gaming device ?

how much do you think it will cost ?

I don't know. Everyone here is saying a lot!

I don't really see what a $150 device that plays ps4 games will really do for them.

It provides the market with a capable $150 gaming device where presently and going forwards the only options are $400. It'd be the equivalent of 'what does the XBSS get Xbox?'

Sony turning up with a $400 PS Portable and MS turning up with a $400 XBM and all these Steam Deck alikes and Nintendo turning up with a $400 NSW2 - that's all sounding pretty crowded to me. Whereas no-one is selling a <$200 handheld. Maybe that's because that market is dead. Or maybe it isn't. But a theoretical PS4P targets a market that's otherwise unchallenged which is why it makes sense to me.

They oculdn't even make the portal $150 and that can't even play ps4 games natively

Perhaps not a case of "couldn't" but "didn't". There could be fairly fat margins in there for all we know. It certainly doesn't generate more revenue to justify being sold close to cost.

 

[Charlietus]

Perhaps not a case of "couldn't" but "didn't". There could be fairly fat margins in there for all we know. It certainly doesn't generate more revenue to justify being sold close to cost.

LinusTechTips cost breakdown of the components shows that it's being sold with small margins, so if you add decent hardware you quickly get to 400$ sold at no profit. There is no portable that's possible at 150 unless it was compatible only with 2d games and PS3 era titles and below.

 

[eastmen]

I don't know. Everyone here is saying a lot!

I dunno then. I just look at the portal and its more than what your saying a portable ps4 would cost lol

It provides the market with a capable $150 gaming device where presently and going forwards the only options are $400. It'd be the equivalent of 'what does the XBSS get Xbox?'

Xbox series S plays all current gen games however. So people would be buying full priced $120 dei games on a xbox series m as described but would be buying what $10 decade old games on a ps4 portable ?

Sony turning up with a $400 PS Portable and MS turning up with a $400 XBM and all these Steam Deck alikes and Nintendo turning up with a $400 NSW2 - that's all sounding pretty crowded to me. Whereas no-one is selling a <$200 handheld. Maybe that's because that market is dead. Or maybe it isn't. But a theoretical PS4P targets a market that's otherwise unchallenged which is why it makes sense to me.

It is crowded. That is why they need unique offerings. Ps4 portable would literally be the most restricted of all said devices. The majority of ps4 games are avalible windows portable / steam deck and xbox.

Perhaps not a case of "couldn't" but "didn't". There could be fairly fat margins in there for all we know. It certainly doesn't generate more revenue to justify being sold close to cost.

There could be but the alternative is that htere wouldn't be good margins on a ps4 portable.

 

[ILikeFeet]

here's what $200 get you, as a benchmark

CPU: 4*78@2.6GHz 4*A55@2.0 GHz
GPU: G77 MC9@836MHz
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x
Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card Slot
OS: Android 13

Retroid Pocket 4/4Pro Handheld

Retroid Pocket 4/4Pro Specifications & Features: RP4 Pro:CPU: 4*A78@2.6GHz 4*A55@2.0 GHz GPU: G77 MC9@836MHzRAM: 8GB LPDDR4xStorage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card SlotOS: Android 13 RP4:CPU: 2*A78@2.4GHz + 6*A55@2.0GHzGPU: G68 MC4@900MHzRAM: 4GB LPDDR4xStorage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card SlotOS: Android...

www.goretroid.com

and this is probably priced to be a profit since the hardware is their only revenue source

 

[Charlietus]

here's what $200 get you, as a benchmark

CPU: 4*78@2.6GHz 4*A55@2.0 GHz
GPU: G77 MC9@836MHz
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x
Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card Slot
OS: Android 13

Retroid Pocket 4/4Pro Handheld

Retroid Pocket 4/4Pro Specifications & Features: RP4 Pro:CPU: 4*A78@2.6GHz 4*A55@2.0 GHz GPU: G77 MC9@836MHzRAM: 8GB LPDDR4xStorage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card SlotOS: Android 13 RP4:CPU: 2*A78@2.4GHz + 6*A55@2.0GHzGPU: G68 MC4@900MHzRAM: 4GB LPDDR4xStorage: 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card SlotOS: Android...

www.goretroid.com

and this is probably priced to be a profit since the hardware is their only revenue source

This thing can't even maintain genshin impact at 30 fps. The only thing that Sony and Microsoft can do at low prices is a series s style device.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

here's what $200 get you, as a benchmark

A PS4Portable would have to use an AMD SOC. That'd greatly affect pricing.