cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1992679
Direct link to Photos: https://imgur.com/a/sgvKTFk#DkmzRuD
Direct Link to Video: https://twitter.com/Zuby_Tech/status/1682660832340058112?s=20
Looks to be running modified Android
I basically see this going in 1 of three directions:
a) Sony will deliver the Q Lite as is, in this form - a barely unmodified Android (13?) Tablet handheld that presumably has Remote Play and PS+ preinstalled. I find this very unlikely, but probably the best case scenario to maximizing value/minimizing e-waste of this device.
b) Sony will deliver a heavily modified/locked down version of Android dedicated to a PS5 aesthetic/UX that only uses Remote Play/PS+. I find this the most likely option from a matter of cost and practicality. Android is extremely competent at scaling to various form factors and has 1.5 decades+ of application and hardware support. Other than embedded Linux (yes I know the kernel, shush) it’s one of, if not the easiest OSes to build up from, especially if you are running Qualcomm, which they are rumored to be in a partnership with. This will make things more difficult to modify/hack though.
c) Sony will ship a completely different, restricted scope OS likely based on a cut down Linux or variant of their PS4/5 BSD-derived Orbis OS. This is less likely than the modified Android, but far more likely than the naked Android tablet shown above. It would fit the branding and ethos that Playstation tries to exude and probably increase the difficulty of hacking even higher, but the design of this device does not strike me as being in the scope/budget of porting over their console OS to mobile ARM hardware. They are very clear about this being a companion device, likely just to test the waters of making handhelds again, with a lower scale target to reach (video and input streaming) than actually including another power target for their entire platform SDK (committing to a Switch style platform halfway through the console cycle or adding the equivalent of a PS Vita in an era of developers barely being able to target 1 console SKU competently, let alone 2).
Either way, this mf ugg-leee.
I love the detailed write up and certainly think that option 2 is the most likely. But the kicker for me was your last line lmao. 🤣
Wonder what soc this boi is using.
That’s good news because it means that those things will be hacked sooner or later. With unrestricted android, it could be a great steam link device.
We still don’t know the price of the device. I think this device has to really target a low, potentially subsidized, price point in order to be worth it over existing handheld devices capable of streaming (or even running games locally), and if that’s the case, it may suffer from the Amazon Fire problem of being incredibly locked down and not seeing as large a development community as would be necessary to achieve a “no restrictions” Android setup. If Sony is subsidizing the device, they would really prefer it if consumers stay within their media ecosystem rather than having the ability to go out and use and/or pay for services that don’t allow Sony to recuperate their losses.
It is also possible that the device seen here is just running Android for testing purposes, and the final device will ship with something more locked-down. This seems unlikely due to being far more effort than just using common tablet hardware and shipping Android, but Sony may prefer to do that to achieve more control over the device.
Of course they want that. But if it’s running standard hardware, people will definitely find a way.
Sure, modding the device will always have a niche interest, and people doing it just because they can, but if the price point of such a device is comparable to a Switch (easily hackable) or even a Steam Deck (outright open for you to do whatever with no barriers in place), would this device have any practical benefit for that kind of stuff over the alternatives?
I think it will continue to have some niche benefit, especially if modding the device still retains its presumably “first party, easy” path to streaming games from a local PlayStation, and for people who would want to keep the presumably better-quality and 1080p display over what’s found in the Switch and Steam Deck, but I think someone looking to get something to primarily use with Steam Link or other such services have better (incl. first-party) options for that use case.
The controls could potentially end up being the main benefit over existing devices.
I was referring to the niche-but-growing segment of handheld game devices primarily designed for cloud/streaming services, like the Logitech G Cloud or more “traditional” handheld gaming devices like the Switch or Steam Deck, not necessarily all generic-tablet Android devices.
