Sony’s PS5 streaming Project Q handheld will launch this year

Project Q is real, and it’s coming soon, Sony confirmed during today’s PlayStation Showcase event. Jim Ryan, the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, revealed the upcoming handheld’s existence.

“Later this year, we will launch a dedicated device that enables you to stream any game from your PS5 console, using remote play over Wi-Fi,” the exec noted as the event wrapped. “Internally known as ‘Project Q,’ it has an 8-inch HD screen and all of the buttons and features of the DualSense wireless controller. We look forward to sharing more information in the near future.”

Truly, the device is a PlayStation controller with an eight-inch screen stuck in the middle. It’s a break from more traditional gaming handhelds, to say the least. In fact, it shares more design characteristics with the recently announced (yesterday) Backbone One PlayStation Edition smartphone controller. In fact, you could comfortably classify Project Q as a PS5 accessory/peripheral.

Image Credits: Sony

The device is the latest in a long line of cloud gaming systems (which have been uneven, to say the least), and a clear vote of confidence from Sony in the future of remote gaming.

The screen has a 1080p resolution, with 60fps playback, streamed directly from the user’s PlayStation 5. The controller, meanwhile, brings all of the DualSense’s features, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

“It also highlights the tremendous popularity and power of the PS5 as the global development community rallies to push its advanced capabilities to the limit,” Ryan said, following the event. We’re investing heavily in the future with innovative best-in-class hardware like PlayStation VR2 and the newly revealed Project Q, and our expansion into PC, Mobile and Live Service gaming is transforming how and where our content can be enjoyed.”

More information — including pricing, and, perhaps, an official name — coming soon.

“PlayStation’s first-ever official wireless earbuds” were also announced at the event. Sony is promising lossless, low-latency audio, tuned specifically for gaming. They’re standard earbuds, from the sound of it, meaning they can also be connected to a PC or smartphone. Sony certainly has a good track record on the headphone front, so the sound will not doubt be solid.