A patent filed in South Korea suggests that Sony might be working on a new handheld console. The images appear to show a Sony cartridge patent that could follow a similar model to the Switch. And the patent fits in nicely with comments Sony made earlier this year about not giving up on portable consoles, even after the poor performance of the PS Vita.
Sony looked set to leave the handheld gaming scene to Nintendo after the poor sales of the PS Vita. But according to a patent filed in South Korea, the Japanese giants may have been bluffing. The patent images show what TechTastic has described as an “electronic gaming cartridge” with a connection positioned at the bottom of the gadget that’s designed to communicate with a console. The device is most likely being created as a companion to the PS5 rather than a peripheral for the PS4.
Though, the design also compliments Sony CEO John Kodera’s comments back in May. He said that the company should not abandon portable gaming but instead think “of it (portable gaming) as one method to deliver more gaming experiences and exploring what our customers want from portable. We want to think about many options.” If the patent is anything to go by, then the device’s description is comparable to the Wii U’s Gamepad which acted as an independent screen as well as a controller for the console. A similar hybrid of controller and handheld console could be just what Sony is working on as they look to build on the touchpad of the PS4.
However, this isn’t the first patent that Sony has filed in recent years. Back in 2017, the company patented a design that looked a little too much like the Nintendo Switch which has yet to materialize. Though, the patent suggests Sony’s working on a new device, perhaps one that incorporates that 2017 patent with this one. Just what that is and when we’ll see it is anyone’s guess at the moment.
(Via Engadget)
