Sony appears to be venturing into the mobile gaming segment once again. According to the latest rumors from leaker circles, the Japanese company is working on a successor to the PS Vita – albeit based on more modern technologies and with a significant change of strategy for the SoC. At the center of the speculation is a joint project with AMD and Samsung, which is internally referred to as Project Jupiter.
AMD provides the architecture, Samsung the structure
According to information from leaker @Jukanlosreve, Sony is planning to develop its own SoC – a customized system-on-chip – for the new mobile console. This is to be based on AMD technology and manufactured by Samsung using the advanced 2nm SF2P process. Although the latter has not yet officially reached series production, Samsung has announced the start of production for this process for 2025/2026. The combination is plausible from several perspectives: Sony already relies on AMD hardware for the PlayStation 5 – specifically a semi-custom solution consisting of Ryzen and RDNA components. A continuation of this partnership seems plausible. Samsung, on the other hand, could win important customers with production on a 2nm basis after falling behind TSMC with earlier nodes (especially 5nm and 4nm).
A potential “mini-PS5”, but please remain realistic
According to a report by Digital Foundry, the new device will not be able to run PS5 games natively. Instead, there is talk of a strategy that is more reminiscent of Nintendo – i.e. adapted versions of games with reduced graphics and optimized performance. Although this contradicts the “mini PS5” narrative that circulated in earlier rumors, it is far more credible from a technical point of view. Mobile SoCs are simply limited in terms of TDP, waste heat and energy consumption, even when advanced manufacturing processes such as Samsung’s 2nm are used. A highly integrated SoC – i.e. an APU with CPU and GPU cores on one die – makes sense in this context. AMD can draw on its experience with the Phoenix APU generation or the new “Strix Point” design, which is already being established in the mobile high-end segment. The focus is likely to be on an efficient performance/watt ratio, not on raw computing power à la PS5.
Sony is testing the market – not for the first time
The attempt to re-establish a handheld product in the PlayStation portfolio has not come out of nowhere. With the PlayStation Portal, Sony recently released a remote streaming device that transmits games from the PS5 via WLAN. However, this concept is aimed more at home users with a stable network infrastructure – it is not a true handheld. The Vita, on the other hand, was a fully-fledged gaming device, albeit with limited third-party support. There could be two reasons why Sony is starting again here: Firstly, the boom in the mobile gaming market – driven by Steam Deck, ROG Ally and co. Secondly, the opportunity to re-establish a mobile platform within its own ecosystem, for example with PSN linking, cloud gaming and cross-save functionalities.
A long road to release
According to the leak, the alleged plans are actively underway, but there is apparently no concrete hardware yet. A market launch before 2028 seems unrealistic – there are currently too many variables. These include, among others
- the availability of the Samsung 2nm node
- the performance of the planned SoC
- the software strategy: PS5 compatibility or own gaming platform?
- the market situation in the handheld segment in three years’ time
Sony itself has not yet made any official statements. There has also been no confirmation of a “Jupiter” project from AMD or Samsung.
Quiet tones instead of big announcements
At present, this is a classic scenario from the “early industry rumors” category. The key points mentioned – AMD as design partner, Samsung as manufacturer, focus on efficiency instead of PS5 performance – sound plausible. However, whether this will actually result in a market-ready product is another matter. Sony has developed several products internally in the past that were ultimately never released. Anyone already looking forward to a PS Vita successor will probably have to be patient for a few more years. In 2025, the hardware world will be characterized by short innovation cycles and scarce production capacities – especially in the area of high-end handhelds. Until then, the rumor remains: an interesting thought experiment, but nothing more.
Source: Jukanlosreve
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