Microsoft claims thatSony’s upcoming handheld, codenamed Project Q, will cost less than $300. This was revealed in a filing presented to FTC, who is currentlyinvestigating Microsoft for attempting to acquire Activision-Blizzard.Rumors of a new Sony handheld had been going around for a while, which were confirmed during thePlayStation Showcase last month where Project Q was officially unveiled. Sony saw some success with the PSP but couldn’t replicate the same with the PS Vita. Project Q is completely different from its predecessors as it won’t have dedicated games for it, but it will be able to stream PS5 games remotely.RELATED:Rumor: PlayStation Handheld Project Q Release Date RevealedAs reported by Axios Gaming’s Stephen Totilo, Microsoft claimed that the handheld will have a price below $300 in a filing made before its scheduled hearing with the FTC. However, the claim has no further context or factual support to back it up and hence cannot necessarily be taken as completely accurate. On the other hand, the $300 price forSony’s Project Q does make sense when considering what the device does.
Despite not being as successful as Nintendo’s handhelds, many players still hold nostalgic value for theSony PSP and PS Vita. Owing to this, fans have already expressed their disappointment with Project Q being a game streaming device rather than a standalone handheld with its own unique functionality and games. This disappointment was strengthened further when a report surfaced claiming that Project Q might’ve been in development since 2015, but only ended up being a streaming device even after 8 years.
Many players also believe that Sony rushed Project Q’s development to get a product in the market following the launch of Valve’s Steam Deck, Asus’s ROG Ally, and Logitech’s G Cloud, but it isn’t really a competitor for these consoles because of its limited game library. To add to players’ concerns, a rumor has claimed that Project Q might only have a 3-4 hour battery-life. This isn’t concerning right now as it is merely a rumor, but it could be a devastating blow for the new Sony handheld if true. As of now,Project Q is rumored to launch in November 2023and Sony will reveal more details about it in the coming months.
