Sony PlayStation Vita successor will bring PS4 games on the go

Sony PlayStation is planning to re-enter the handheld gaming with a successor to the underrated PlayStation Vita.

Following the disappointing release of the PlayStation Portal, fans have clamoured for a new PlayStation handheld to challenge the Nintendo Switch 2. With the Vita now loved by a hardcore fanbase, is it time for a follow-up?

According to Moore’s Law is Dead, via WCCFTech, a new PlayStation Portable handheld is in the works at Sony and AMD. The new handheld is currently in the High Level Design Phase and will be powered by a brand-new custom AMD APU.

The new handheld will allegedly be similar in power to the Nintendo Switch 2, allowing it to run PlayStation 4 quality games on the go. However, it won’t support Nvidia specific features such as DLSS, although it could support rudimentary ray-tracing features like the AMD-powered Steam Deck.

To support PS4 titles natively, the new handheld is said to be able to engage 18 CUs for maximum compatibility. Furthermore, the system is said to have a next-gen portable GPU clocked at 1.8Ghz.

According to the report, the new PlayStation handheld will also run base PS4 games natively. The PlayStation Vita successor is said to be able to load PS4 packages designed for the 2013 console and play them on the go.

Interestingly, the console is also said to be able to support PS5 packages as well. However, these titles would need to be ported to run at lower resolutions with lower graphical settings. While it could run some PS5 games as they are, most will have to be custom-made for the new handheld.

With the rise of handheld PC gaming such as the Steam Deck, MSI Claw and ROG Ally, a new PlayStation Vita successor would be a fantastic addition to the handheld gaming market. At the time of writing, Nintendo is dominating the handheld space without competition, and Sony’s new handheld could be the valuable competition Nintendo needs.

When it released, the PSVita was at the forefront of handheld gaming technology, able to run games between PS2 and PS3 quality. Titles like Killzone Mercenary and Uncharted: Golden Abyss offered full AAA experiences on the go for the first time.

The new PlayStation Handheld is still years away, and it’s yet to be confirmed by Sony. However, considering the accurate past of Moore’s Law is Dead (specifically surrounding Nvidia RTX 40-series SUPER specs), we fully expect a new portable PlayStation is on the horizon.