PSP 2: price, expected release date, and everything you need to know
A new PlayStation handheld is rumored to be in development at Sony
Sony could be working on a new PlayStation handheld, creating a true successor to the PS Vita or a PSP 2 that so many have been waiting for.
According to hardware leaker Moore’s Law is Dead, Sony is developing a genuine PlayStation portable that can play games natively and won’t just be a streaming device like the PlayStation Portal.
The handheld will be powered by a custom AMD APU – similar to what we’ve seen from the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go – and it will be capable of running PS4 games.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: PSP 2 is in development
🤫 A PSP 2 or PS Vita 2 is reportedly in development at Sony
🙌 The handheld would be able to run games natively, not just via Remote Play
💪 The new PlayStation Portable will be powered by an AMD APU
😩 However, don’t expect it to arrive anytime soon
Games could also receive a “pro-like patch” to boost the performance of some titles to PS5-like quality, though how this would work remains to be seen.
Moore’s Law is Dead goes on to claim that the PSP 2 is “currently in the high-level design phase” but notes that the handheld is “at least two years out and technically not greenlit for launch yet”.
Like all internal projects, the handheld may never see the light of day or could change dramatically in the coming years. As Moore’s Law is Dead notes, the “exact specs” of the PS Vita 2 are currently speculation on his part.
Judging by the popularity of Sony’s PlayStation Portal, which is still sold out despite being a $199 handheld that only lets you stream PS5 games via Remote Play, a native PlayStation handheld would be snapped up by fans.
With the success of the Switch, Steam Deck, and the rise in portable PCs, it seems like the market is ready to embrace handheld gaming once again, after an initial decline due to smartphones dominating the space.
Whether or not Sony could topple Nintendo’s stranglehold on the portable space remains to be seen, but it’ll certainly have to do a better job in supporting the PSP 2 than it did with the PS Vita and has done with the PSVR 2 so far.
PSP 2 price: How much would it cost?
If Sony does return to the handheld market with a PSP 2, it’ll certainly cost more than the last PlayStation Portable, the PS Vita. The PS Vita cost $249.99 for the Wi-Fi model and $299.99 for the Wi-Fi and 3G model when it was released in 2011. Compare that to the $199 PlayStation Portal, a Remote Play streaming-only device, and it’s clear that a native handheld capable of playing PS4-level quality games for $50 more just wouldn’t be feasible today.
It’s also worth looking at Nintendo’s pricing structure. The Nintendo Switch cost $299.99 when it was released in 2017 and the Switch 2 is tipped to cost $400. If Sony wants to release a handheld that is more powerful than the Switch 2 and able to compete with something like the Steam Deck, which was $399 for the entry-level model at launch, expect it to cost more.
The PSP 2 price would likely fall between the $300 to $500 mark, then. Sony has shown it isn’t afraid to charge a high price for its products, either, with the PSVR 2 price being $549 and the DualSense Edge costing $199. Expect a premium product with premium performance.
PSP 2 release date: When could we see Sony’s next handheld?
As mentioned above, there’s no guarantee the PSP 2 or a successor to the Vita will even see the light of day, as internal plans can change. However, the PSP 2 release date is likely to be at least two years away. That would put it in direct competition with the Switch 2, which has slipped to a release date of early 2025, and potentially a successor to Valve's Steam Deck.
We’re also expecting to see more portable PC handhelds released in the coming years, with the MSI Claw the latest manufacturer to enter the market. Revisions to the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally are also likely, meaning the PSP 2 won’t be just going up against Nintendo this time around.
PSP 2 specs: How powerful could the next PlayStation be?
The PS Vita couldn’t quite deliver the PS3-like quality visuals Sony promised, but it came close. We’ve seen handhelds like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck far exceed what was possible on Sony’s last portable PlayStation, so we can expect far superior visuals if a PSP 2 is released.
Sony will be aiming for at least PS4 levels of quality for PSP 2 games, with rumors suggesting that some titles could even benefit from a “pro”-like patch that could increase performance in certain games.
If the iPhone 15 Pro can run games like Resident Evil 4 remake and Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, albeit at lower settings and with some compromises, expect the PSP 2 to deliver far better graphics and performance if it releases in a few years.
The PSP 2 will likely be powered by the latest custom AMD APU – similar to what’s inside the Steam Deck – and should benefit from any software and hardware advancements that arise in the next few years. Sony has had a long-standing relationship with AMD, which makes the prospect of the PSP 2 being powered by Nvidia or Intel extremely unlikely.
Hopefully, Sony will ditch the need for a proprietary memory card for the PSP 2. The PlayStation Portal and Vita required users to purchase proprietary memory cards, something which inflated the cost of an already expensive handheld.
Last updated: April 3, 2024