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Soundwave on 04 June 2017
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KBG29 said:
I think Sony would be insane not to release a Handheld/Phone built around PS4 tech, with full access to PS4 software and service. It has to happen at some point if they want to continue to grow the PlayStation division, and continue to please consumers and more importantly share holders. PlayStation is their only growth business right now, and if they want to continue this upward trend in profits, they have to widen the platform. Whether they can make that happen right now is another question.

Personally I don't think it will happen this year. I think it is going to have to wait for 7nm FinFET. Unless all PS4 games have the ability to scale back assets, resolution, ect., there is just no way they can build something the size of Vita or Switch that can run these games. If they did, build something small enough, I think current games would have to be patched to play on it, meaning less support, and a bad image in gamers minds.

In my opinion, it is smarter to wait until they can deliver the full PS4 library on a mobile device. I think a Wifi only dedicated Handheld, and a Phone model would do quite well with the backing of the entire PS4 catalog and services. They should be able to do this at a very low R&D cost, as it should use the same chipset as the PS4 Super Slim, and run the same OS. I think by making it just another device in the PS4 ecosystem they could have a very successful mobile market even if they only reach the 15 million Vita users. Although, I think a PS4 Phone would be the most successful mobile device Sony has ever launch, and sell much better than Vita or PSP.

It won't happen for a long, long, long time. 

Even at 7nm, a PS4 chip would likely consume about 25-30 watts, that's not feasible in a mobile device. 7nm production for a chip as complex as a PS4 is years away too. 

The PS4 needed to be designed from day 1 as a mobile centric device for that idea to work. It's not. Switch is. 

Nintendo will be able to release a Switch in 3 years or so with PS4-tier graphics, that will be good enough.