PlayStation's new console already has a fundamental flaw

As I'm sure you've probably heard by now, PlayStation announced a brand-new gaming device earlier this week - but there's a fundamental flaw with the new bit of kit that fans have been quick to point out.

Announced during the PlayStation Showcase, Project Q is PlayStation’s newest handheld device. It allows gamers to to play their favourite games via PS5 Remote Play, effectively working like a Nintendo Switch - if you could only play your Nintendo Switch in handheld mode for as long as you're near a stable internet connection.

Describing the device, Sony boss Jim Ryan said, “Innovation is our passion, and that applies to not just what games you play, but how you play them. Later this year we will launch a device that enables you to stream any game from your PS5 over Wi-Fi. Internally known as Project Q, it has an eight inch HD screen and all of the buttons and features of the DualSense wireless controller. We look forward to sharing more information in the near future."

The device itself boasts a shiny tablet-like screen, with two DualSense remotes on either side. This, of course, means you can still enjoy new-gen controller features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers while playing handheld. That's pretty cool, but that's perhaps the only thing about the console that is.

See, it didn't take long for the internet to absolutely roast this new console, and it's not hard to see why.

I don't know much, but I know this: if a handheld console requires a constant connection to the internet to function, it has fundamentally failed as a handheld console. If I buy a handheld, I want to be able to actually play my games on the go. I want to play Zelda on the bus, or Pokémon on the train. Heck, I might be camping, or on holiday somewhere without a decent Wi-Fi connection. But that would be fine, because I would have a handheld and some games to play it on. It should be that simple.

I get that there are some people who are thrilled by the idea of Project Q who see it as a way to play their PS5 games while their partners/siblings/parents/whoever are watching TV. But Sony needs to explain soon how this bespoke hardware, which will undoubtedly launch with a premium price tag, is any different from picking up a third-party mobile controller, installing Remote Play on our phones, and streaming PlayStation 5 games that way. Otherwise, I really don't see the point.