5 reasons I want Sony PSP 2 in 2025, even if Asus ROG Ally X is my top pick of 2024
The Asus ROG Ally X is the PC gaming handheld to get in 2024. The Sony PSP 2, expected to launch next year, is the portable console at the top of my wishlist
I’ve already tested the Asus ROG Ally X ahead of its official release this month and The Shortcut now has a review unit in hand. It’s a spectacular upgrade over the original Asus ROG Ally that kicked off the post-Steam Deck phase of PC gaming handhelds. But it hasn’t satisfied my yearning for a Sony PSP 2 handheld. I’ll explain.
Valve no longer has a monopoly on PC gaming handhelds with the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED. Consumers can purchase the Asus ROG Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go, the MSI Claw 8 (and soon the MSI Claw 8 AI+), and, later this year, the Zotac Zone. All of these run Windows as the operating system and use AMD processors except for the two MSI Claw handhelds, which utilize Intel chips.
For now, I’m recommending the new Asus ROG Ally X to anyone who wants a quality PC gaming handheld immediately. It’s a second-gen powerhouse with up to 24GB of RAM, more comfortable grips, and a larger battery. It runs my library of games on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Steam, EA Play and Ubisoft Connect just fine.
Sony PSP 2 is the 2025 challenger
Further out, my top pick is likely to be the Sony PSP 2. It’s still rumored, and we are getting a PS5 Pro announcement this fall, one year before the PSP 2 launch. But there are obvious signs that Sony is getting back into the portable gaming space with a new PlayStation Portable 2.
It’s been 12 years since PS Vita and 18 years since the original PlayStation Portal. Here’s why Sony PSP 2 has my attention:
1. Sony PSP won’t come out until 2025
Sony is late to the game. That’s actually a good thing, in my opinion. While many other PC gaming handheld manufacturers are making costly mistakes (and probably losing money with costly R&D), Sony is stealthy developing its own handheld from scratch.
2. PlayStation Portal is a stealth PSP 2
Sony is learning a lot of lessons from the $199 PlayStation Portal right now, including offering PS Portal firmware updates to perfect the 8-inch UI. It’s almost like Sony is prepping the PSP 2 right under our noses to work out all of the kinks.
With this low-cost (both cheap for Sony to develop and inexpensive for consumers to purchase) PS5 remote player, the company is quietly testing it out on the hands of millions of consumers and likely making a nice profit.
3. Library of PlayStation games for PSP 2
The PlayStation brand is stronger than ever. Asus, Lenovo, MSI, and Zotac don’t have the ability to bring exclusive games to their handhelds. Valve does have games like Portal, Half-Life, Counter-Strike 2, Left 4 Dead, and Dota 2, but its releases are few and far between compared to the likes of Sony PlayStation.
Sony’s stable of exclusive franchises on the PS5 includes God of War, Spider-Man, Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Horizon, LittleBigPlanet and The Last of Us. And, our recent Stellar Blade review and the Astro Bot news show that Sony is fearlessly topping our best PS5 games list with new IP.
One caveat: we thought the same thing would happen with the Sony PSVR 2. Besides getting some free PSVR 2 games, we’ve been unimpressed with Sony porting games to the headset and missing other big VR games coming to other headsets. Sony has the power to bring its best franchises to a PSP 2 handheld – but it has to actually do it.
4. There’s demand for a PSP 2 handheld
The fact that our PlayStation Portal restock guide was needed showed that there was so much demand for a Sony portable handheld that it was impossible to get for six months. It’s now easier to buy a PS Portal, but it remains $199 – Sony is in no hurry to drop the price of what’s become the best-selling gaming access of 2024.
If this PS5 remote player has such strong demand, imagine a Sony PSP 2 that can play PS5 games natively and offline. Overwhelming support for any console means more developers will flock to make games for it.
5. PSP 2 specs sound impressive
We loved toying around with the PS Vita 12 years ago, but the rumored PSP 2 specs, which include and AMD APU, make the handheld console sound all grown up. Even if the specs aren’t a leap over what’s in the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X currently, we’re in a completely different era where playing your favorite PS4 and possibly PS5 console-quality games is possible with PlayStation brand.
I recently tested Sony’s PS5 remote play in my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review, and if a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phone can handle PS5 graphics on a tiny Cover Display, so can next year’s PSP 2, which a much more expansive screen and DualSense controls.