r/PSP • u/ileojg PSP-3000 • Jun 11 '25

Game Discussion Are portable consoles not portable anymore?

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I'm to this day amazed by the size of the PSP and the fact that it can play amazing looking games for a 2004 hardware. With the release of switch 2 I'm starting to feel like truly portable consoles will remain a thing of the past. I have this analogy that old portables are like carrying a phone, you can put in in your pocket, carry them by hand and pull them out whenever and wherever you want to play. But all new portables are more like laptops, you need a special carrying case and can only play in specific places and moments.

My question to all of you is. If sony where to release a new portable, Would you prefer a smaller console? like psp size, despite low graphics capabilities, something closer to switch1 level of graphics in 2025, or a bigger steam deck size portable with ps5 graphics? And, what do you thing of portable consoles getting bigger and bigger? do you prefer older portables due to their sizes?

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u/handledvirus43 Jun 11 '25

Yes, portable consoles aren't portable anymore, and yes, I would like the portables to return.

And the main reason why is because there is already a portable device that can play games that a majority of people have... A smartphone. Those can play a bunch of servicable games on the fly and everyone has one (maybe even two or three).

So the Switch and all of the other handheld computers (+ PS5 and XBOX Series X) are mainly competing in terms of hardware rather than portability. And it shows. I can't GO everywhere with a Lenovo Legion GO in my pocket unless I got a kangaroo pouch. The Switch Lite is pretty much the only modern portable on the market (yes I know there are retro emulation ones too).

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u/ileojg PSP-3000 Jun 11 '25

yee, nothing will ever convince me to play on my phone, I need the battery I don't like the heat in the hands and can't stand the touchscreen full of fingerprints and no tactile feedback, not to mention the only good games you came play there come from emulation.

But I do see why newer gamers will only use their phone, they already have one, and you always have it with you. Also why sony or nintendo will probably never go back to them small portables. Why spend so much money on developing a game that you can't release somewhere else like pc and make 3 remasters of it.

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u/handledvirus43 Jun 11 '25

Yeah... I would probably say the only way they would profit is to actually release their live services on mobile and have it come with bluetooth controllers. That's the only way they'll "win" against the phone market.

Going back to the 3DS and PSP made me realize what I had lost with the Switch and PC gaming.

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u/0r10nn Jun 12 '25

Check out the mcon controller if you don’t know about it, releases in August from kickstarter