PSP 2: 6 things Sony needs to get right with the next PlayStation Portable
PSP 2: 6 things Sony needs to get right with the next PlayStation Portable
If Sony does make a PSP 2, these are the mistakes it needs to avoid
Sony is reportedly working on a PSP 2, a true successor to the PS Vita and the beloved PlayStation Portable. But it’s fair to say the Japanese electronics giant has made a few mistakes in the past when it comes to its handhelds.
While the PSP 2 might seem like a pipe dream to many, the handheld market has never been so lucrative, with the likes of Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and the Asus ROG Ally all finding a receptive audience.
Sony has the distinct advantage of being able to bring its world-renowned IP to a smaller screen, but thanks to Steam you can play some of the best PS5 games on Valve’s Steam Deck and other handheld PCs. If a PSP 2 is to be successful, then, Sony will need to nail the hardware and not just the software this time around.
Here are 6 things Sony needs to get right with the next PlayStation Portable.
Don’t make gamers pay for proprietary storage
One of the biggest gripes about the original PSP and the PS Vita was Sony’s propriety storage solutions. The PSP and Vita memory cards were extremely expensive, and ultimately led to the handhelds costing far more than the competition.
We’ve seen the Nintendo Switch and other portable handhelds opt for microSD cards or replaceable internal SSDs to add more room for games, so hopefully Sony will follow suit with an affordable solution that won’t hurt gamers’ wallets. After all, it’s made sure the PS5’s SSD is easy to upgrade and is cheaper than Microsoft’s Xbox Series X proprietary expansion cards.
Ditch the physical media
This may anger the purists and those in favor of game preservation, but Sony should go all-digital with the PSP 2. It’s becoming abundantly clear that physical media is on the way out, with Sony and Microsoft releasing digital versions of their consoles and Best Buy no longer selling physical movies. Sony has even experimented with a digital-only handheld in the past with the PSP Go.
If we do get a PlayStation Portable 2, a digital-only model should be the priority.
The market wasn’t ready for the PSP Go back in 2009, but not only would a digital-only console keep costs down, but it would also make backward compatibility easier for future PlayStation handhelds like we see on PCs.
Sony wouldn’t need to spend time and resources developing a proprietary media solution either, like the Universal Media Disc. If we do get a PlayStation Portable 2, a digital-only model should be the priority.
Leave the gimmicks behind
I appreciate it when a company tries something different, but I still can’t get my head around the PS Vita’s utterly pointless rear touchpad. The likes of the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally have shown that gamers don’t need gimmicks on their handhelds, but prefer to have solid hardware with great performance.
A focus on beneficial technology like including an OLED screen, a variable refresh rate display, and Hall Effect analog sticks would go a lot further with gamers than some quirk that the vast majority of developers might never use.
Sony should lean into the charm of its IPs instead, like offering the equivalent of PS5 themes that could customize the console’s interface or make the PSP 2 a media hub for movies and music as it did with the original PlayStation Portable.
Follow the PlayStation Portal’s blueprint
The PlayStation Portal serves a very specific purpose: to stream PS5 games. You’re experience will vary depending on the strength of your internet connection, and it isn’t really designed to be played outside of the home.
However, one aspect the PlayStation Portal got right was the controller UI. The Frankenstein-like design won’t win any awards – it’s just an 8-inch screen plastered in between a DualSense controller – but that at least lets the PlayStation Portal retain all the functionality gamers expect when playing PS5 games.
If Sony wants the PSP 2 to appeal to PlayStation fans, it needs to have all the buttons and inputs we’ve come to expect.
The PSP and PS Vita have always been missing one or two inputs that made the experience of playing portable games feel a little awkward. The PSP had a single analog stick, and even though the PS Vita corrected this, it still only had a single pair of shoulder buttons.
If Sony wants the PSP 2 to appeal to PlayStation fans, it needs to have all the buttons and inputs we’ve come to expect from Sony’s excellent controller. And yes, that includes haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
Don’t overlook the battery life
If there’s one aspect that Sony continually seems to overlook in its products, it’s battery life. The PS5 controller battery life is subpar, to say the least – and it’s even worse on the DualSense Edge controller. The PlayStation Portal battery life, a device that only streams games, also isn’t great.
If Sony does develop a new PSP, it needs to ensure it has a competitive battery life, similar to the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s hybrid console offers industry-leading battery life, and although it took an internal revision of the handheld in 2019 to get there, being able to play the best Switch games for up to nine hours is a fantastic accomplishment. A handheld with three to five hours of battery life simply won’t cut it from Sony.
Games, games, and more games
It was a travesty how quickly Sony pulled software support for the PlayStation Vita, and it’s something that some gamers won’t easily forget. Ultimately, the main thing that sells any console or piece of hardware is the games, and Sony will need to deliver a consistent and exciting lineup of titles throughout the handheld’s lifespan.
The criminal lack of first-party software for the PSVR 2 – its $549 VR headset for PlayStation 5 – doesn’t inspire confidence.
Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t exactly delivered an overwhelming selection of must-have games for the PS5 and has gone as far as to concede that we won’t see any major franchises until at least April 2025. To make matters worse, the criminal lack of first-party software for the PSVR 2 – its $549 VR headset for PlayStation 5 – doesn’t inspire confidence.
Ideally, games that are released for the PS6 or PS5 Pro need to be easily ported to the PSP 2, as it’s hard to see Sony being able to balance the burden of creating handheld and console games in tandem – something which even Nintendo began to struggle with during the Wii U and 3DS generation.
If we ever see a new PlayStation Portable, then, Sony needs to deliver the games and plenty of them. But with the increase in competition and the ever-changing conversation around exclusives, there’s also an argument that a PSP 2 doesn’t make sense for PlayStation right now.