PlayStation's Project Q was revealed in the brand's big spring showcase, and people aren't quite sure what to make of it. For years, die-hard PS Vita fans and Switch on-lookers have been eager for PlayStation to make some sort of move toward a new handheld platform, and Project Q, based on the limited information we have about it, seems to be the closest we're getting.
Details are incredibly sparse just now, but what we do know is that Project Q will have an eight-inch HD display, all the buttons of a regular DualSense controller, and will be able to play games installed on a PS5 over a WiFi connection. Although we don't have a specific launch date or price, SIE CEO and President Jim Ryan did say during the Project Q reveal that the device will be coming "later this year", which means sometime in 2023.
Project Q will add to the PS5 ecosystem, which has already grown arms and legs this calendar year. Earlier in January, we got the DualSense Edge, and in February, PlayStation doubled down on its commitment to VR with the launch of PSVR 2. During the Project Q reveal, we also saw the brand's first official pair of wireless earbuds which are said to have lossless audio on PS5 and PC.
We're rounding up the specific details we have about Project Q in a bit more detail down below, and as soon as we hear more, we'll add to this page to keep you updated.
Sony Project Q price
While we don't have a confirmed price for Sony's Project Q, we can make some guesses based on its other hardware, and the current handheld market. The first comparisons to make are with Steam Deck, the Asus ROG Ally, and other handheld devices like the Logitech G Cloud. These machines are essentially portable gaming PCs, and they can all do a lot more than we currently know the PS5 handheld can. For an on-the-go gaming PC you can expect to pay anywhere between $250 and $500, so it would stand to reason that Project Q is somewhere in that general ballpark.
In terms of functionality, the biggest competitor to "PS5 Q" might be something like the Razer Edge, a handheld Android gaming device we don't often hear all that much about. The Razer Edge has a 6.8-inch AMOLED FHD+ display but has a Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 APU. This might be a useful comparison to make when trying to guess the Project Q price because it's another top-line brand that tends to charge a similar premium for its hardware. A Razer Edge will set you back $399.99, which might tell you just how much Sony's Project Q will cost.
I've compiled a table below of prices for comparable devices, so have a gander and feel free to guess as to what Project Q's price will be - I'm taking bets on $350.
Project Q release date
We don't have a confirmed release date for Project Q, but we know that if all goes to plan, it should arrive in 2023. Given the reveal has just happened at the end of May, that leaves the back half of the calendar year.
An obvious choice for release dates for any kind of gaming hardware would point to the holiday season since PS5 itself and its predecessors all launched in a November timeframe. This could absolutely be a possibility, as Sony might want to capitalize on holiday sales events like Black Friday, and it might give them the chance to put bundles together for the console, the handheld, and potentially even PSVR 2.
With Marvel's Spider-Man 2 releasing in the fall, that's also an option for a Project Q launch date. It might be that Sony wants the handheld, which will release into a competitive market, to make use of Spider-Man 2's marketing somehow.
Then, of course, there are late Summer months like August. I'd be shocked to see Project Q's release date any time before then since we still don't know much about it, and that usually signals that it's got ways to go in terms of production and development - just look at the timeline for project Leonardo, which was revealed in January and was only just confirmed as the Access Controller in May.
As soon as we hear a Project Q release date, we'll update this page.
Project Q specs, features, and functionality
As mentioned, PlayStation's Project Q will feature an eight-inch HD display, all the buttons of a regular DualSense controller, and will stream games over Wi-Fi that have already been installed on a PS5 - presumably over Remote Play like the best mobile controllers and the Backbone One PlayStation Edition.
While we haven't heard anything about how Project Q will work with the PS5, we can assume it will mainly be a way to use PS5's remote play functionality, which is already available on mobile and tablet. From what we know currently, it doesn't seem like Project Q can be docked like a Nintendo Switch or like with one of the best Steam Deck Docks. So it won't be an alternative to buying a PS5, and it won't really be able to compete with something like the ROG Ally which is geared at taking games on the go as a separate handheld device.
What we do know, is that Project Q has two halves of a DualSense on either end of its display. From that, we can assume that the device will inherit some of its features. Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Trigger Resistance are staples of the PS5's controller ecosystem, even appearing on PSVR 2's Sense controllers. One big concern is that the DualSense has been plagued by reports of stick drift and poor battery life. With Sony not doing anything to change the problematic potentiometer sticks in the DualSense Edge, it wouldn't be at all surprising if this PlayStation handheld was prone to those same stick drift issues.
What is Project Q's name?
I think it's safe to say that Project Q is a placeholder codename as we saw with Project Leonardo, which we now know is called the Access Controller.
The internet has been hedging its bets on some different variations of Project Q, including some comparisons to the Wii-U. As is usually the case though, these guesses won't likely be anything to go by. PS5 Portable has a nice ring to it, PS Vita 2 doesn't seem fitting to what this device can do, and I'm not exactly sure what the significance of the Q in "PS5 Q" would be.
We'll have to wait and see when we hear more about Project Q, but it isn't likely to release under the name Project Q, or even PlayStation Q.
For more on PlayStation goodies, take a look at the best PS5 accessories, the best PS5 controllers, and the best TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
