Sony Patent May Support Recent Rumors of a New PlayStation Handheld

A newly published patent from Sony may support rumors and speculation of a new PlayStation handheld device in development. Unlike the PlayStation Portal, Sony references the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, and PSP Go as predecessors for the new patent.

This past February, tech YouTuber and insider Moore's Law is Dead released a video that claimed Sony is working on a new handheld gaming device. The video explains that AMD was already paid by Sony to produce the new handheld system, but it's supposedly in the very early stages of production. The rumor also suggested that the handheld may run PS4 games and select PS5 games via a patch, functioning similarly to Valve's Seam Deck. Although it's possible that the new handheld may not actually be released, a new patent suggests that Sony is going ahead with plans that were stated in the Moore's Law is Dead video.

Sony's new patent aims to streamline the process of switching from playing a game on a mobile gaming device to playing it on a console, with cloud gaming being a key element. Cloud gaming is not currently supported on the PlayStation Portal device, and the patent specifically notes that Sony's previous gaming handhelds, such as the PSP, provide a means of traditional gaming that players enjoy. However, the handheld/mobile gaming experience is not exactly the same as home console gaming due to lower graphical fidelity and less dynamic controls. To address this issue for gamers, the patent seemingly shows a new handheld from Sony that's capable of using cloud gaming features with improved inputs and response time.

The patent doesn't appear to be related to the PlayStation Remote Play app, since it doesn't support cloud gaming either. What's more, the handheld and its internal processes are capable of «real-time dynamic correction» during gameplay and streaming footage to «spectator devices.» A server and its bandwidth are responsible for the streaming and transmitting processes. The patent's drawings show how