Skip to main content

Sony files patent for new handheld that looks a lot like a Nintendo Switch

For gamers who are in love with their PS Vita’s there might be hope for the future.

Sony has filed a patent for what looks to be a new portable handheld system, and it looks like it has taken quite a few design cues from the Nintendo Switch.

Recommended Videos

NeoGAF user ponpo is the one who spotted the patent. It was apparently filed in 2015, but has just recently become public.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

It certainly doesn’t look as elegant as a PS Vita, but it does trade sleek design for a greater ergonomic feel. What it does look like is some sort of tablet device that’s sitting in a controller mount. It actually looks most similar to the Gamepad Controller for the Razer Edge Pro Gaming Tablet. While the tablet might also resemble a phone, the patent photos suggest very little if any parts are removable.

This patent comes as a major surprise to Sony handheld fans. Especially after head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, confirmed in 2015 that with the advent of mobile phones, the climate for dedicated gaming handhelds was not healthy.

While the PS Vita is beloved for its treasure trove of obscure Japanese titles, it hasn’t sold particularly well. Since its release in late 2011 in Japan, the PS Vita has sold a total of 15.25 million units. That’s a far cry from Sony’s previous handheld, the PlayStation Portable, which sold 80.82 million units. Even compared to the Nintendo 3DS, with 63.82 million units sold, the PS Vita has not kept pace.

If Sony were to release this handheld, it would also invariably be compared to Nintendo’s next console/handheld hybrid, the Switch. With so much positive buzz and excitement around the Switch, it may be hard for Sony to carve out a slice of an already highly competitive mobile market pie.

Imad Khan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…
Nintendo Switch’s successor must overcome one major challenge
Someone picks up a Nintendo Switch OLED Model.

The latest news on the Nintendo Switch’s successor, colloquially referred to as the Nintendo Switch 2, excites me. Unfortunately, it also demonstrates a major hurdle that Nintendo Switch 2 will have to overcome.

While Nintendo has yet to go all out in terms ofexplaining what the Switch 2 is yet (or if that’s even its name), we did learn in the company’s latest financial results that the console will be backward compatible with Nintendo Switch titles. That’s a win for not just Switch 2, but game preservation and the Nintendo Account system. Although backward compatibility is a net win for Nintendo’s next system, as it was for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, it reminds me that Nintendo must succeed where PlayStation and Xbox have struggled this generation.

Read more
This shadow-jumping platformer can’t quite live up to its Nintendo-like gimmick
A shadow jumps at a Train station in Schim.

I’m constantly on the lookout for creative, innovative, and generally exciting new video games to recommend. With the AAA industry growing ever-focused on making fewer, bigger games, it’s up to the smaller studios to take more creative risks and present ideas that push the medium forward. When I played Schim at Summer Game Fest 2022, I thought it had the potential to be one of those titles as this shadow-hopping platformer had a distinct look and feel compared to anything I played before.

That’s not fully the case, even if Schim is admirably inventive. That single gameplay gimmick, where players can only move by jumping into shadows, is immediately novel, especially for its first 10 levels. Schim doesn't evolve much past that point though, both mechanically and narratively. A great idea that would be a standout in a platformer with more variety feels stretched thin here.

Read more
These underrated 16-bit classics just got new life on Nintendo Switch
A still from the intro cinematic for Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked.

There is no shortage of all-time greats to choose from when seeking out a new 16-bit platformer to play. SNES and Sega Genesis classics like Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Mega Man X are probably the first things to come to mind. During that same era, Contra and Castlevania developer Konami released a series of platformers that rivaled those greats but didn't get as much recognition as they deserved. Now, these titles are getting a new lease on life thanks to a collection that launched earlier this month on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

I'm talking about Rocket Knight Adventures, a 1993 release on the Sega Genesis, as well as its follow-ups on Genesis and SNES, separate titles both named Sparkster. These 2D platformers put players in control of an opossum named Sparkster, who wears a suit of armor with a rocket strapped to its back. These games aren't as widely remembered as many of their peers but are well worth the time of any platformer fan, so they are definitely worth checking out now through Limited Run Games and Konami's Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked, which came out right in the middle of Summer Game Fest this year.

Read more