There are those out there who still champion the PlayStation Vita and wish it hadn’t met an early demise. It’s true that Sony’s portable systems, while well made, have never been able to compete with Nintendo’s offerings. Now that Nintendo has released the Switch, they’ve managed to merge the concept of a console with a portable. Is it possible that Sony could do the same thing? After all, portable experiences are big for many people who often commute to work, or rarely have time to camp out in front of the TV. It’s no secret that the Switch is going well for itself, so that begs the question, could the PS5 be a portable/console hybrid as well? It may be more of a possibility than you think. Sony Files Patent For a Handheld System Before you shoot down the concept, let’s look at the facts. In early 2017, NeoGAF user ponpo spotted a patent that was filed by Sony back in 2015. It wasn’t published until 2017, but the images associated with it look suspiciously like the setup Nintendo has with the Switch. While it’s true that patents don’t always become products, it does show that Sony is entertaining the idea. While the images don’t immediately show the ability to detach the controllers on either side, it’s reasonable to assume that this function is possible, just like the Switch’s Joycon controllers. Much like the Switch, this patent could be for a system that allows you to place the tablet into a dock and play games on the TV, or take them on the go. I don’t think, after the lack of support for the PSP and Vita, that Sony will go into the handheld field a third time, so that makes me think that they’re going to use this in conjunction with the PS5 somehow. It’s clearly an idea that works. Nintendo has enjoyed sales in excess of 7.63 million units worldwide through September 2017. Keep in mind, that the console was released in March of 2017, so those numbers are pretty impressive. Even more interesting, is that the Switch has managed to outpace the sales of the PS4 in Japan! These kinds of statistics show a shift in gaming where graphics aren’t necessarily everything. If you can change the way games play, then you can easily take on the giants of the industry. So, let’s entertain this idea for a while. What would the PS5 look like if it was a portable/console hybrid? The PS5 as a Hybrid Console Let’s fast forward to a hypothetical E3 2018 where Sony announces the PS5. It will still be the PlayStation console you know and love, but with some added twists. While the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have the same hardware power as its contemporaries, Sony is not one to be beaten by Microsoft’s hardware. The novelty of portability won’t be enough to make them sacrifice graphical power, so they’ll find a way to compromise. The PS5 will still be the most powerful … Read More