New leak gives us a closer look at what’s inside Sony’s Project Q

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Remember when Sony gave us a sneak peek of the Project Q handheld back in May? Yeah, that was more like a teaser trailer than an actual reveal.

Sure, we got to see the 8-inch HD screen and heard about “remote play over WiFi,” but it felt like we were being strung along.

We were left with questions buzzing around our heads: What’s under the hood of this thing? Is there built-in storage? How much is this going to cost me? And for crying out loud, what operating system does it use?

Well, fast forward to now, and thanks to @Zuby_Tech’s Twitter leak, we’ve got one less mystery on our hands. The video shows the device running a bare-bones version of Android – controlled by touch, analog sticks, and face buttons.

Getting some serious Sony Xperia Play vibes yet? Hold your horses, though – odds are most users won’t be messing around with this backend interface.

We’re expecting something shinier that mirrors the PS5 menu for day-to-day use. But having Android at its core has stirred up some buzz among tech enthusiasts who can smell potential for emulation beyond what Sony intended.

Sony might not be throwing a party at that prospect, though. If Project Q is indeed powered by Android, they can only do so much to stop it from turning into an emulation device — unless they make it as appealing as week-old sushi.

A lot depends on what kind of processor this device has and how much storage space it comes with. If streaming is all they’re aiming for with Project Q, why bother going above 16GB?

Despite catering to niche tastes in some ways, Project Q could still turn some heads due to its unique proposition

As a mainstream gadget, though, it’s odd: portable but tied down to your home WiFi network and $499 PS5 console – sorta like Wii U control pad circa 2023 – not exactly company you’d want at your cool kids’ table!

So where does this leave us? Well, whether Project Q sinks or swims could heavily depend on how Sony prices it — which remains anyone’s guess right now.

Microsoft/Activision FTC filings hint at the sub-$300 range; pretty pricey for something that mimics what any smartphone coupled with the Remote Play app and controller grip already does.

If Sony dares push toward that upper limit, then Valve Steam Deck is just $100 away, offering Remote Play plus local PC games without needing the same WiFi network.

Here’s hoping Sony pulls a rabbit out of their hat – killer features or competitive pricing – to make Project Q irresistible.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com.