Sony’s mysterious Project Q, a handheld remote-play console, has seemingly entered the wild. Prominent leaker Zuby_Tech has posted a new, unofficial video breakdown of the device on Twitter. It’s currently unclear how the device has been obtained, given it’s still in its early life cycle and doesn’t even have an official name yet, but the leak does appear legitimate.
In the video posted by Zuby_Tech, the recently-revealed Project Q is laid out on a bed, as someone flicks through various menus and submenus, showing off a seemingly very early version of the device’s UI. From this look, it appears the upcoming console is fairly bulky, with the middle screen appearing to be slightly larger than that of an OLED
Perhaps the more interesting reveal in this leaked video is that Project Q seemingly runs on a modified version of Android, rather than a proprietary PlayStation operating system. While it’s likely the console will be heavily modified for its official launch, its potential to retain Android functionality raises intriguing questions about its customisability.
Read: PlayStation handheld ‘Project Q’ is a Remote Play streaming device
Some commenters have already flagged that if the final device runs on Android, it will be open to modification, and adaption for programs like emulation. This is likely something Sony is well aware of, and will attempt to circumvent – but with discussions of a potential homebrew scene already beginning, Project Q may face an uphill battle.
That said, with strong homebrew communities already buoying the likes of the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally, this functionality could also be of unlikely benefit to Sony. As a remote play-only device, Project Q has a distinct ceiling – but should it have expandable capabilities, it will likely garner much more interest.
For now, there are still questions that linger around Project Q – like how it will differentiate itself from other cloud streaming devices in the market, and why players should fork out, given most modern phones already have remote play compatibility and controller compatability. With Zuby_Tech’s leak, we’ve now got our closest look at the console yet, but we’ll likely be able to dive deeper in the coming months as Sony reveals more about its latest handheld.
