OPINION: If the rumours are true and Sony is cooking up a new PSP for the new generation, then it needs to be small.
If it launches and it’s a giant slab of plastic like the Lenovo Legion Go, you can count me out. I don’t need a console that plays PS5 games in bed – I need something that I can slip into my pocket on the way to work.
Don’t get me wrong, I love handheld consoles. When I reviewed the MSI Claw 8 AI+ earlier this year, I fell in love with the fact that I could play the latest triple-A games on the go.
The problem is, handhelds aren’t really handhelds anymore – they’re luggables. The best PC gaming handhelds are great, but you need to buy big, bulky cases just to take them with you. I want a portable handheld that is exactly that: portable.
The original PSP and the Vita nailed that brief – they were sleek, stylish, and genuinely portable. Sure, they had their quirks and limitations, but from a size perspective, they were spot on – and I’m desperate for that approach to return.
Right now, we’re stuck in a race to make everything bigger, with tech firms chasing massive screens and higher specs, but it’s led to a kind of form factor fatigue that has me second-guessing my tech choices more than ever.
I know this won’t be easy. If the PSP 2 will be able to play PS5 games at lower resolutions, it’s going to need some serious hardware, and that inevitably puts pressure on the design.
But it doesn’t need to go toe-to-toe with the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally X in terms of raw power. What it does need is solid performance, in a slim, pocket-friendly form factor that doesn’t require a backpack to carry around. If Sony pulls that off, it may as well take my money now.
The encouraging part? It seems like Sony is taking this space seriously. Earlier this month, it sent out a survey asking PlayStation gamers what they thought of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal – specifically about the console and the pre-order approach. This is a clear sign that it is paying attention to how people actually use these devices, not just what’s inside them.
For me, it all comes down to this: Sony needs to remember what made its first handhelds so special. The PSP 2 doesn’t need to be the biggest or the most powerful – it just needs to fit into my life, and more importantly, into my pocket.
