Let’s Talk Project Q (And PS5 Pro)

PlayStation have a bunch of new hardware on the horizon and it’s a mixed bag. From the confusing Project Q to console behemoths, it’s going to be an expensive 18 months for fans of the brand.

The main focus of this article is on the ugly thing in the picture above. I was pretty vocal about the poor design of the PlayStation 5. It’s been hidden away from view in our house since the day it launched. The Project Q handheld does nothing to turn this trend around.

Leaked by Zuby_Tech on Twitter, it’s our first look at a device that Sony announced earlier this year.

PlayStation Project Q Leaks:#PlayStation #ProjectQ https://t.co/gyFrsW7xkN pic.twitter.com/0R0yQIdr0I

— @Zuby_Tech (@Zuby_Tech) July 22, 2023

It’s not the most interesting handheld ever made. It will allow you to stream PS5 games from your console. As an accessory, it fills an interesting void that the Switch fills by default. But it’ll be interesting to see how that 1-2-punch of Internet Connection and having to own a console and game separately will work out for it. I predict it’ll be mostly based on price. A cheap tablet and a broken Dualsense doesn’t necessarily fill a gap that an iPad and a working Dualsense doesn’t also fill, but it does make it slightly more convenient.

And Sony knows the demand for remote play far more than I do, obviously. Perhaps it’s a feature that is ridiculously popular, and I just don’t know anybody that uses it. Fine. But there’s also a chance that they’re hoping this drives use of the feature which would be an interesting idea. I’m not sure it will, especially if we start getting towards $199.

But price is always going to be the main factor in this. Hopefully it’s sensible. And hopefully its feature set starts growing above remote play.

Introducing PlayStation 5 Pro

Far more interesting, but not necessarily any better news for those with stretched wallets: details of the PlayStation 5 Pro have been making the rounds.

Xbox started the generation by saying that prices weren’t necessarily going to come down on consoles this generation, which is why they’d created the Xbox Series S. Tech has got to the point where price is inhibitive. At the time I remember discussion about whether pro versions of the consoles would ever release and the answer, by and large, was a “why?”. The current console have barely been stretched yet, and you’d be paying a huge amount for not a massive amount of gains. You’re probably not getting native 4k and 60fps and raytracing. You’re probably not even getting native 4k and 60fps on the biggest games.

But I think as time has gone on, it has become clear that the current consoles aren’t punching quite where expectations sat. They’re not bad, to be clear. The issue is with expectations, not necessarily the devices themselves. And so a Pro model for both brands was inevitable.

The PS5 pro will target better framerates at 4k, accelerated raytracing and support for 8k. It is targeting November 2024.

Last generation, the consoles struggled at 4k. It was a fairly major problem for the PS4 and especially the Xbox One, because people were buying these 4ktvs and the quality was poor. That’s not an issue this generation. I question the need for a pro but, like a good little consumer, will buy them both anyway.