Vita failed for many reasons but it was a low R&D device being just ARM and powervr based. I can see them developing something from a good mobile chipset but maybe x86 this time.
I think the Switch has shown people like the use on the go and then dock for the big screen experience. I think if they went for a device with a 7nm fabrication process but only lowish performance in a mobile handset it could succeed. Basically a full featured phone, that also includes a gaming pad cradle (including battery pack) and then a small dock by your tv that gives big screen tv output as well as charging the phone.
The phone would have a dual android os and sony os. Maybe a 720p screen but only a 4.5-5.5" size feature maybe 2GB memory, 32GB storage and one micro sd card. It's performance level would be about 120 gflops but with superior cpu and memory bandwidth performance giving some improvements over Switch. It could be used all day as your main phone but limited battery life for gaming like a typical phone. It would be based on a 7nm fabrication process or similar.
The game cradle adds ds4 compatible controls, an extra micro sd slot and a large battery which boosts battery life by 3x. It would end up resembling the Vita when in the cradle.
Dock simply adds hdmi output, charging and allows a usb 2.5 hard drive to be connected.
On its own the device can play touch screen android games, all the normal apps etc as a full feature phone.
In the cradle it can play it's own games, plus ps1, vita and psp games natively. It can also remotely play ps4 and ps5 games. Also ps3 games using the subscription service I forget the name of.
While docked you can remote play using standard ds4/ds5 controllers of course as well as its native games and android games.
The price of the device at launch £169 solus, £199 with cradle (£50 on its own) and docks at £25.
Launched with ps5 creating a gaming environment that spreads across mobile, home and VR.
The other hardware I think would be good is a VR headset the phone slots into for light VR experiences and also a small LED projector that the device slots into no bigger than an old VHS cassette. Just for playing games with multiple people on the go or watching movies etc.
It's all easy tech. It's similar but doesn't directly compete with Switch but uses some of its concepts. It also gives Sony great marketing potential as it will do a degree have some control on what you see in your day to day life as your psn account is linked with your google account.
It doesn't step on the sales potential of their main consoles as it only performs to a low level like Switch. There is no boost mode. It operates at the same performance whether mobile, in the cradle or docked natively (it's too small for improved cooling). However when the user has a ps5 the games are remotely processed on that system and streamed to the console so all its own games run at 4k 60fps as an option or you can play them natively at a low 720p resolution on your tv. I.e. if you play android games on your tv using this device docked they are actually processed on the ps5 and are always 4k 60fps. If the ps5 introduces ps2 or ps3 backwards compatibility, I don't suppose they will but its probably powerful enough to emulate then those can be remotely played too. The ps5 also has the ability to drop to 1080p 60fps if there are 2 devices connected that need remote processing.
The device would be powered by a AMD x86 soc chip. Something like a dual core at 2ghz. Giving it perhaps 2x the cpu performance of Switch but slightly reduced graphics performance of Switch portable mode.
Value wise the fact that you could fit the device into your existing sony system at home and benefit from the bonus monthly games too means compared to Switch value is massively improved.
Anyway that's my take on a Sony portable. I could see it being a huge success personally but even if it sold only Vita numbers close to 20 million I still reckon its worth doing for all the benefits it brings Sony and the lack of R&D costs needed. Being x86 based pretty much the same developers can knock out a game for ps4, ps5 and this device for game experiences that don't rely on high gpu or cpu resources.
When mobile you could watch your friends play their games or even make comments as they play etc. With the VR visor you could see through their eyes what they are playing in VR a sort of ghost mode because its only streaming 360 degree video to you while wearing your VR headset. Yes its only a 720p screen so the quality will be basic but ideal because of lower network requirements i.e. the ps4 or ps5 only has to stream a lower quality 720p 360 degree video image. Great fun at lunchtimes to follow your friends gameplay making comments about all the things he is doing wrong in the game.
