Sony PSP 2: Every rumor we know so far

Credible leaks suggest that Sony is looking to properly re-enter the handheld market with a successor to the PSP and PlayStation Vita.

The roaring success of the Steam Deck has prompted several companies to try their luck in the handheld market, from well-known names like Asus and Lenovo to smaller companies like Ayaneo. Some of these devices clearly take inspiration from Sony’s PSP or PS Vita.

It seems Sony is not blind to this, and some reports suggest that a true successor to the Sony handheld legacy is in the works.

Features speculation

The PlayStation Portal remote-play device was something of a surprise success. However, many users were disappointed by its features, and need to be constantly hooked up to a stable internet connection.

The first indications that Sony was working on a more full-featured handheld came via Russian journalist Anton Logvinov, who said: “I can confirm that Sony is preparing a new PSP for release, but damn – they are only PS4 games in the launch lineup, which are generally available on PC, and therefore on Steam Deck.”

Logvinov has been known for passing along reliable information in the past, such as data regarding PC ports of PlayStation exclusives.

Later, in February 2024, well-known hardware leaker Moore’s Law is Dead also said that a new PlayStation handheld was in development, and it would be backward compatible with both PS4 and PS5 games.

Other details such as the exterior design were not forthcoming.

Specifications speculation

Moore’s Law is Dead reported that AMD is working on the chip that will power the PSP 2.

AMD has had great success with its APUs, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U and Radeon 780M combination which has been seen in many devices, including the Steam Deck and many handhelds from Ayaneo.

Dexerto

This is not the only project AMD is working on with Sony, as Moore’s Law is Dead reported that AMD was working on a chip to develop the future ‘PlayStation 6’.

There were few other details provided, but it is possible that the chip for the PSP 2 could be part of AMD’s ‘Strix Halo’ line of APUs, the successor to the existing Strix Point chip line. The off-the-shelf solution can rival an RTX 3050 in leaked benchmarks.

However, it is expected to be a custom APU and not an off-the-shelf part, considering AMD and Sony are said to be working very closely on this project.

Release window speculation

Don’t expect the reveal of a potential PSP 2 until the latter half of 2025 at the very earliest. According to Moore’s Law is Dead, the device is still in what he describes as a ‘high-level design phase.’.

Especially if, as we strongly suspect, AMD is using a custom version of the Strix Halo APU for the device.

Price speculation

Considering that AMD is working on a custom solution for the device, along with the fact that the device may be capable of running PS4 games, don’t expect the potential PSP 2 to be cheap.

Rival handhelds like the ROG Ally X can cost up to $799. While the PSP 2 will likely target a more mainstream audience, it’s possible that Sony would look to lock in a more competitive price.

As a useful comparison point, here are some other handheld devices with their launch prices:

With rumors about the PSP 2 continuing to be scarce, expect to find the latest on the potential console updated on this page. For those looking at future devices, be sure to check out everything we know about the Switch 2 so far, more upcoming handheld devices, and for the more headset-inclined, all of the upcoming VR headsets we know about.