During the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan revealed Project Q. It’s a new handheld streaming device that will allow you to stream any game from your PlayStation 5 console using its remote play function or Wi-Fi.
It doesn’t have an official name yet, so it’s known internally as Project Q. What we do know is that it has an 8-inch HD screen, plus all of the buttons and features of a DualSense wireless controller.
Sony is also releasing its official PlayStation earbuds that aim to bring next-generation audio immersion to PS5 and PC. They simultaneous connect to smartphones via Bluetooth. The technology also aims to deliver lossless audio with low latency.
More information about both the Project Q handheld device and the PlayStation earbuds will be revealed at a future date,.
Take a sneak peek at new accessories revealed at today’s Showcase — the Project Q device for playing games installed on your PS5 and streamed over WiFi, plus our first official wireless earbuds offering lossless audio on PS5 and PC.
More details to come in the months ahead. pic.twitter.com/0nzemSWSCV
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 24, 2023
Project Q is PlayStation’s first handheld device since the PlayStation Vita launched over a decade ago. However, this time it’ll focus on streaming rather than being a dedicated handheld with its own games like the Nintendo Switch. Project Q does not appear to function like a handheld computer; it’s simply a streaming device.
With the success of the Steam Deck, it’s no surprise that others are trying to get into the handheld market. Most recently, Asus launched the ROG Ally, which is compatible with Windows ,as well as other launchers like Xbox Game Pass and EA Origin.
Now Sony is coming in hot with its own handheld, though it’s not exactly a Steam Deck competitor. Ironically, Steam Deck can also be used to stream both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass games. While PlayStation is making its own official earbuds now, there are still other earbuds, as well as headsets that work well with PlayStation 5.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.