Sony’s highly anticipated May 24th showcase capped off with a no-frills unveiling of a few pieces of new hardware, including the not-so-secret Project Q, which has been anticipated to be a cloud gaming device. According the the announcement, it has been specifically designed for remote-play over Wi-Fi, with the added bonus of integrating the PS5 DualSense’ haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. The device will stream games on its 8-inch screen at 60 FPS and 1080p resolution. The press release does not mention a price or specific release date. In fact, Sony didn’t even officially name the device. This suggests that the unveiling may have come last-minute. Perhaps they realized they couldn’t keep the rumor-mill from churning.
This Hardware Is Not What We Were Expecting
Sony mentioned during the presentation that they had ambitions in cloud gaming. Reports have also suggested an expansion of new hires to support those ambitions. But beyond the announcement of Project Q today, no further announcements or rumors have circulated. Sony is behind in cloud gaming, and its unknown at this time if ProjectQ will support it outside the home. The Verge are reporting that the device is intended only for remote play, and that cloud gaming won’t be supported – at launch at least. If true, this would be a shame.
As it stands, Remote Play is possible through a dedicated app on phones and tablets. But the quality of the service is dependent on both the device you’re using, and your home internet upload speed being up to the task. It’s a form of cloud gaming that is both expensive and inaccessible for most families – making Sony the least competitive player in the cloud gaming space at the moment. From what we know so far, Project Q is doing nothing to change that.
There Is Still A Lot We Don’t Know
For now, we know from other reporting that any game that is playable on PS5 will be playable on Project Q, and that a PS5 will be required in order to use the device. We do not yet know the intended use-cases for the product, as Jim Ryan moved on quickly with other announcements. Will there be a cellular option for the device? Will the internal wireless card be fast enough to work off a hotspot? Many questions remain, but you can be assured that Cloud Dosage will be following Project Q as more news develops.
