Sony’s Next PSP Could Run PS4 Games

More than 10 years after Sony released its last handheld system, a new rumor suggests that the company is developing the next generation of PSP—one capable of running PS4 games.

The latest rumor comes from Russian journalist Anton Logvinov, and while you should be skeptical of any and all unconfirmed reports—especially ones from journalists you’re not familiar with—you should also know that Logvinov previously reported on Sony’s plans to make PS games available on PC. That rumor was also considered laughable but was ultimately proven out a few years ago, when Sony began doing just that.

According to Logvinov (via ResetEra), “Sony is preparing a new PSP for release … there are only PS4 games in the launch lineup, which are generally available on PC, and therefore on SteamDeck.” Logvinov’s claim gels with a previous rumor that Sony is developing a new handheld PlayStation console, but according to that report,the console would be able to run both PS4 and PS5 games. Given the success of SteamDeck, which allows gamers to play titles typically only available on PC systems (including some PS games), it makes sense that Sony might be inspired to develop another handheld console—the company’s first in over a decade.

Sony debuted its first handheld console, the PSP, all the way back in 2004. After a few iterations, the PSP was ultimately discontinued in 2014. The PSP-3000 was the last iteration of the console released in North America, in 2008. Sony released a successor, the PlayStation Vita, in 2012. The Vita was a huge flop for several reasons, including expensive hardware and memory cards (so many memory cards), a lack of older titles, and—most importantly—Sony’s quick abandonment of the console.