• Leaked images and video of the upcoming PlayStation Project Q have emerged online.
• The leaks are the first time we see the handheld in action, showcasing an Android OS and several apps.
• It is a large device at 8 inches which will be used to stream pre-purchased PS5 games over WiFi via cloud gaming technology.

Images and video of the so-called “Project Q” have leaked online showing a testing build, or perhaps a factory model of the Sony handheld in action.

Project Q was announced in May after rumours that Sony was looking to launch a new handheld that wasn’t in line with the doomed PlayStation Vita and the archaic PlayStation Portable (PSP). This handheld would not rely on disks, but rather stream gaming over WiFi in a similar vein to the deceased Google Stadia and other cloud gaming outlets.

Videos and images of the PlayStation Project Q have emerged online thanks to Twitter account @Zuby_Tech, the first of the device in hand and not in pre-rendered marketing material. They show a device similar to what Sony has been showing off, however we also now get to see how it works, and some of the apps available.

In the videos, a person is shown using the touch screen display, as well as the analogue sticks and buttons to navigate on the 8-inch LCD. The Project Q is much larger than the likes of the PlayStation Portable, probably due to its screen size of 8 inches which is larger than the Steam Deck.

Otherwise, it just looks like a Dualsense controller split in half, where a screen has been placed between the two halves.

We can also see that it is running an early version of Android OS as per the three icons on the right side of the screen. It shows many icons, all titled in Japanese across a basic Sony menu with a QR code. This entails that the device will be used for more than just streaming games you already have installed on your PS5.

From what we can see from the poor quality, there is a music-listening app available, as well as an app to manage your files, images and videos.

Accompanying the video, there are images of the device without the screen.

According to The Verge, November seems like the launch month of Project Q, which doesn’t even have an official name set in stone yet. It will enter a market already lined with the likes of Valve, and ASUS.

However, it has the disadvantage of being PlayStation-only, while its competitors have a wider variety of games available.

The ASUS ROG Ally is basically a small handheld Windows PC which means you can do whatever you want with it, like run emulators.

Also, its cloud gaming-only setup could, for example in a South African context, provide an experience of generally low quality compared to markets like Japan and the US due to disparities in internet speeds and ping.

We doubt that this machine will see markets other than the two mentioned above due to its niche nature and streaming requirements. Perhaps instead of the Project Q, South Africa could see slimline PlayStation 5s. For us, that would be more interesting.