PlayStation Vita 2 in development according to reputable leaker

A new PlayStation Vita handheld could be in development, according to leaks from Moore’s Law is Dead. The leaker claims that the new handheld chip is currently being designed by AMD.

It’s been a while since Sony released a new handheld, with powerful native rendering capabilities. The PlayStation Vita, released in 2011 was the last device that Sony released in this category.

The company did make a return to the handheld arena in 2023 with the PlayStation Portal, but that was a cloud-based handheld, which is not capable of running native rendering, like the Steam Deck and other modern devices.

Now, leaker ‘Moore’s Law is Dead’ claims that a “Vita 2”, or a handheld destined to succeed the PlayStation handheld legacy of the PSP and Vita, is in development. Since this is the first report that we have heard of its kind, it’s best to take it with a massive grain of salt, as it’s specified that the handheld is still in very early development.

Moore’s Law is Dead may be an unfamiliar name to many gaming enthusiasts, as many of his previous leaks have come in the form of leaks from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. He most recently correctly leaked the price of the RTX 40 Super series lineup months ahead of launch, so his track record is generally good.

In a video, Moore’s Law is Dead claims that a potential PlayStation Vita 2 handheld is in a “high-level design” phase. He states “…it is being worked on by AMD, that money has exchanged hands, that Sony isn’t just asking AMD, they are paying for active development right now.”

Other details such as design and a full greenlight for the product are still far from being finalized, and a product borne from the results of the development of this chip may never see the light of day.

The leaker notes that the device would be “at least two years out” and is yet to have any kind of finalized specifications, but speculation is already brewing for how Sony could position such a product in the market.

Specifications speculation

“The fact that Sony is working on this is a big deal actually” the leaker comments. Unnamed developers commented that a Vita successor could offer 18 compute units, utilizing a variant of the PS5’s chip, so that backward compatibility for PS4 and PS5 could be a possibility.

Given the advances in efficiency we’re seeing from integrated AMD chips, it could be a big jump in performance, at around half of a PS5’s total graphical heft. No architectures have been mentioned or specified, however. So, bear in mind, that the discussions around how powerful this chip will be is all still speculation.

The leaker continues to speculate that the development of a weaker, or more stripped-down version of the PS5 chip could also be attractive to put in a home-console form factor, such as the Vita TV, stating that it might be attractive to certain markets, if positioned like a “PlayStation Series S”.

PlayStation 6 chip also in development at AMD

Moore’s Law is Dead continues to state that the deal for the work on the Vita 2 handheld was finalized following a confirmed contract between Sony and AMD for the development of a PlayStation 6 chip: “It apparently was to be commissioned to be worked on right after they started working with AMD on the PlayStation 6, which I am also confirming today.” Moore’s Law is Dead notes.

Sony working on a new home console is no surprise, but don’t expect to see it anytime soon. Regardless, news that a new PlayStation handheld could be on the way is extremely exciting, and Sony may clearly be keeping their eyes on the success of handhelds like the Steam Deck OLED and ROG Ally.

But, only time will tell if the development of this purported new chip goes smoothly, and if a Vita successor gets launched into markets in several years.