The PS5 Showcase in May 2023 threw dozens of trailers at its viewers, including hardware presentations. The new handheld with the internal name “Project Q” attracted particular interest. MeinMMO collects first reactions.
What is Project Q? To put it bluntly, it’s a “Dual Sense” controller with an 8-inch monitor (20.32 cm screen diagonal). The screen is thus slightly larger than that of the standard version of the Nintendo Switch (6.2 inches / 15.75 cm).
The handheld is not an independent gaming device, but a streaming device. Project Q harnesses the power of your PlayStation 5 and streams the console’s display. A good internet connection is required for the stream to run properly via the “Remote Play” function.
You can find the first reactions to this below. You can watch the trailer from the PS Showcase here:
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What are the reactions to Project Q? The new PS5 device generates divided opinions, but with a clear bias. Many viewers have asked for a new handheld from PlayStation, but not a pure streaming device.
On YouTube, the trailer collected the most clicks and reactions on the “IGN” channels and the in-house PlayStation channel. The most popular comments show a clear direction:
Under both videos, the users shoot against Project Q, hardly anyone can do anything with the part. There are really a lot of comparisons with the Wii U and the request for a new PS Vita is repeated dozens of times.
Some users note that they like the design. Always with the “but” that a device with independent games would have been better. Remote Play has been around forever, even the 2011 PS Vita had the feature.
User Pian-0 G sums it up: “With the release […] they’re missing a great opportunity.” So, a competitor to the Steam Deck would have been better, with performance on par with the original PS4.
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On Reddit, opinions differ a little further. A thread has formed here with over 1,100 upvotes and over 450 comments (via reddit.com). There are definitely fans there.
Married people, for example, who are struggling with the problem of the “split television” report here. User ProAssassin84 writes: “Guys who are married will buy the item on day 1. Definitely will if the price is right.” User shambler_2 agrees, “I’ll wait for reviews, but yeah.”
User picknicksje85 argues for larger families: “It’s not for me, but I would have liked it earlier as I have two siblings and a father who also wants to use the TV. It will be useful to a number of people.”
However, the majority of the commentators fired at the device here as well. Overall, the reactions are clearly negative.
There is definitely a market for such streaming devices, but it remains to be seen whether Sony will do itself a favor with the new device. Compared to a new Vita, the development and manufacturing costs should be significantly lower – it’s a gadget, not a milestone.
However, PlayStation manufacturer Sony has apparently caught a sore point. Sony never really made a breakthrough with its handhelds. PSP and PS Vita tended to swim with them rather than create currents themselves.
But those who had a device were often satisfied – hence the desire for a sequel. In addition, handhelds are apparently on the rise again after the release of the Steam Deck and some manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon – such as Razer with its Edge.
What are you thinking about?