Back in May Sony officially revealed what was then known as Project Q, its first streaming only handheld gaming device. Since then, there have been multiple rumours about the specs and what the device will deliver and now, Sony has finally decided to launch the device as the PlayStation Portal. However, it appears that Sony is still keeping things under wraps, as not much new was announced in terms of the actual specs of the device, although we now know that the 8-inch, 1080p60 display is a touch display and it can act as a virtual touchpad. Other details that Sony shared in today's announcement was that the device will feature a 3.5 mm headset jack. With a US$199.99 MSRP it might end up being a popular accessory though, as Sony is asking for far less than the rumours suggested the PlayStation Portal would cost.

Sony also unveiled a pair of new headsets for the PS5, the Pulse Elite and the Pulse Explore. The latter was shown back in May. What was not known back then, was that Sony will be adding a new wireless audio specification to the PS5 called PlayStation Link. This will require a new USB dongle that ships with the headsets and can apparently also be used with PCs and Macs in a rather unusual move for Sony. PlayStation Link is said to be a low latency and lossless wireless audio solution, but the good news is that both headsets also support Bluetooth connectivity and can connect to a PlayStation Link dongle and a Bluetooth device simultaneously. Both the the Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore will feature planar magnetic drivers, which is a not common in gaming headset and even less so for earbuds like this. The Pulse Elite has a US$149.99 MSRP and the Pulse Explore will retail for US$199.99 when they launch later this year.

PlayStation 5-related rumors have been flowing over the past week—Zuby_Tech was reportedly the main source responsible for leaking out Project Q footage, but the tipster has turned to his attention to an alleged new version of the host system. Yesterday's tweet makes reference to a refreshed PlayStation 5 model—the "CFI-1300 series"—with a revised 5 nm APU. The late-2020 launch model (CFI-1200) sported a 7 nm chipset, while 2022's die shrink granted the CFI-1202 series with a 6 nm SoC.

The tipster thinks that Sony will be dropping the PS5's liquid metal cooling system for its next iteration, thanks to a central 5 nm part offering greater efficiency and reduced thermal output. Previous reports have predicted that this refreshed "modular model" is marked for a late 2023 release window. Sony has been running a summer price reduction campaign—could this marketing incentive be clearing the way—i.e selling off older stock—in anticipation of the refreshed model's arrival? "CFI-1300" should not be confused with the heavily rumored PlayStation 5 Pro variant—Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has reiterated multiple times that this major hardware upgrade is still a long way off from launching.

A significant Sony Project Q leak has revealed an alleged prototype running on an undisclosed version of the Android operating system—the remote play-oriented handheld device was first revealed in late May's PlayStation showcase, but Sony's games division has so far kept stum about the Q's means of operation. Zuby_Tech has (prematurely) pulled back the curtain by uploading various images and video footage of a working unit.

A very simple version of Android seems to be displayed on the device's 8-inch 1080p LCD screen (a protective film is still attached), with a prominent QR code featured on its home window. The streaming device has the potential to be quite flexible, in terms of functionality, thanks to Sony's apparent wise choice of operating system selection. Zuby_Tech also took the time to open up their sample unit—without the screen in place, there appears to be not much going on inside there. Previous rumors have the Project Q accessory costing somewhere in the $200-300 region, with a battery life of 3-4 hours—this could be a tough one to market and sell, even to the most ardent of PlayStation platform supporters.

Stephen Totilo, a writer for the gaming section of Axios, has uncovered an intriguing tidbit from Microsoft's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) court documents. He injected some humor into this finding and posted on Twitter: "Microsoft's lawyers with some Project Q hype." According to the legal team's footnotes: "Sony is also anticipated to release a handheld version of PlayStation 5 later this year for under $300." The handheld gaming device was first revealed during late May's PlayStation Showcase, but teaser material only revealed a small number of details.

Sony indicated that Project Q will feature a 1920 x 1080 display (with a max. 60 Hz refresh) and in-built WiFi connectivity that allows the user to stream games from a host PlayStation 5 system. Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has gathered information from company sources since that showcase, and proposed that the device can only sustain 3-4 hour play times. He also proposed that Sony should seriously consider launching the device at a low price of $200, given the handheld's alleged limited function as Remote Play-only. It is odd that Microsoft's legal representatives think that Project Q will act as a highly portable PlayStation 5 console, but they likely did not pay attention to the limited details available to them.

Insider Gamer's past predictions about a Remote Play-enabled PlayStation handheld rang true last week when Sony announced Project Q - teaser material points to this fancy accessory integrating into the PS5 ecosystem. Technical details were not explored in any depth during last week's Sony showcase, but it is clear that the controller and 8-inch screen combo will be capable of streaming content via WiFi from a host PS5 console.

Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has gathered more details from his inside sources, and released leaked information about the remote play device's operation time on a single charge (late last week): "Prepare yourselves, because Insider Gaming understands that the Project Q battery life will be around 3-4 hours. Yup, you read that right. At least Project Q is on brand with the DualSense having a short battery life, I guess. If the retail version of Project Q does indeed have a 3-4 hour battery life, then the handheld might be a hard sell for Sony. Already people are skeptical of its success, with the handheld only being used with Remote Play." Henderson has been informed that the accessory is slated for a November launch, but he opines that Sony should carefully consider their pricing strategy in the interim: "Ultimately though, I think the success of Project Q will depend on its price. A $200 or less price tag could see the accessory sell in strong numbers, but PlayStation has been notorious for having high price tags on its products."