a Report from Bloomberg Suggest this week Sony is working on a new portable PlayStation device. As someone who can't bear to leave my PlayStation Vita in the attic and still has it sitting in my desk drawer, this is a very exciting prospect. It's been almost 13 years since Sony released its last portable console, the Vita, and with its crisp big screen and skinny little stick, it's a real wonder. I wish more people would have made games. Papercraft adventure Tearaway and dizzying platform puzzle game Gravity Rush remain underrated.

In fact, aside from the beautiful and very niche Playdate, no one has bothered to release a dedicated handheld game console in over a decade. Both the Nintendo Switch and Valve's Steam Deck are hybrids that can be played handheld or connected to a big screen.

There's a reason for this. First, smartphones have taken over almost the entire portable gaming market, offering an endless supply of free and cheap games on the devices everyone already owns. And secondly, it's handheld and In the past, commercially available home game consoles divided development resources. Only Nintendo has had enough success selling handheld devices to overcome generations of talent split between DS and Wii, or 3DS and Wii U, games. That made the Switch a candidate for the smartest business decision in the company's history. .

Sony, on the other hand, has always struggled to make enough games for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Vita, alongside the home PlayStation, to make the handheld console an attractive buy. The PSP, which sold 75 million units, was a highly profitable console, even though it was in direct competition with the Nintendo DS, which sold 150 million units (12 million was sold by the PSP before moving to a competing platform). (Thanks in part to Capcom's Monster Hunter series, which sold more than just books.) But when the Vita launched in 2011, it was obsessed with the smartphone world and only sold an estimated 15 million units.

The difference this time is that the machine Sony is reportedly developing can play it. existing PlayStation 5 game. The idea seems to be to have a portable and home version of the same console that can play the same games. Bloomberg suggests that Microsoft is also working on portable console prototypes, but none of these may ever make it to market.

Another difference is that cloud gaming has become mainstream. I know a lot of people who used the Vita primarily as a not-so-legal emulator that allowed them to play a ton of retro games, as it was sadly easy to crack. But now, with a PlayStation Plus subscription and fully legal access to Sony's treasure trove of back catalogue, I'm happy to have a handheld gaming console that lets me play most of PlayStation's history without having to buy a game. How many people would pay for it?I'm sure there are many.

Sony did it some There has been experimentation with portable hardware ever since the Vita was discontinued. Late last year, the company released a strange little device called the PlayStation Portal. It's essentially a screen attached to the center of a PlayStation 5 controller, allowing you to stream games from the PS5 and play them in your hands. This has limited practicality, but it's great and I love it Sony's hardware design – so I really hope we see a new PlayStation Portable in the next few years, even if it doesn't come loaded with the bite-sized, bespoke games that older handsets enjoyed .

However, as Steam Deck proved, mobile devices can be a game-changer for busy people, as they simply give you more time and opportunities to play, even if you don't have your own dedicated games. For example, the only way to beat Persona 4 was to play it on the vita on the train. With the next portable PlayStation, you could probably manage the last 10 hours of Persona 5.

what to play

When you think about the history of the old portable PlayStation, a few games come to mind. There is LocoLocoa game about a singing blob that's back with this year's Atom Bonus Level. And I spent more than 100 hours with my index finger oddly curled over the PSP's directional button, my hand forming the shape known as Monster Hunter's claw.

And there it is tear awayMedia Molecule's intimate and brilliant Vita platformer is set in a world made of paper. This is the easiest to try as there is a slightly less capable PS4 version. unfolded tear duct Available from the PlayStation Store. It's included with PlayStation Plus, so I just downloaded it to play with my kids this afternoon.

Available: PS4/5
Estimated play time: 8 hours

what to read

• If you stick to Sony news, PlayStation 30th anniversary next month. to celebrate, released by Sony There are tons of game soundtracks, timelines, quizzes, and of course some things you can buy.

• Shuhei YoshidaThe former head of PlayStation Studios and current head of the company's indie developer initiative will retire from the company in January after 31 years. I last interviewed him last year. He remains one of the friendliest people in the entire gaming industry and one of its most seasoned advocates.

• And Sony clearly intends to buy Kadokawa, From Software's parent companyManufacturer of Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and Armored Core. Will we finally get a new Bloodborne?

• New version of Microsoft flight simulator have It started in a small state. If you're considering buying one, it's probably best to wait a few months.

What to click

question block

leader benjamin This week's question:

“You said your latest Pushing Buttons cost money.” Shadow of the Eld Tree forgame of It's the annual award, but I'm curious. to hear your thoughts First of all, it is a downloadable extension and not a game itself. Wouldn't it set a strange precedent if something that wasn't playable as a standalone could end up being the best game of the year?”

Gaming awards categories such as the Baftas, Game Awards and Golden Joysticks are struggling to keep up with the speed at which video games are evolving. A few years ago, most of them introduced some version of the “games in progress” category to account for games that have been running for years and change frequently, such as Fortnite, No Man's Sky, and Minecraft. did. But now it has become difficult in itself. Does the game have to change in that year to qualify? How about something like Cyberpunk 2077? Although this is not a multiplayer game with continuously new content; did Will it be significantly changed and improved after release? How about a remaster? Should we also consider downloadable expansions? And where should we place games that fit into more than one genre? Every year there are many releases that challenge the definition of categories.

I might end up saying things like this forever. My feeling is that anything released that year, if it's good enough, should be eligible for an award, whether it's an add-on or expansion to an earlier game. Shadow of the Erdtree was over 30 hours long and could very well have been a standalone sequel. That's 10 times longer than some indie games nominated in other categories. Personally, I think it's hard to justify disqualifying this game for technical reasons, but of course I think I'd judge it on its own merits, not the basic game's merits.

If you have any questions for the questions block or anything else you'd like to say about the newsletter, please reply or email us at pushbuttons@theguardian.com.