As previously announced, the PlayStation Portal will feature support for haptic feedback and audio triggers, and feature an 8-inch LCD screen that’ll be capable of running games at 1080p and 60 FPS. Sony has, however, also confirmed that cloud titles available through the PlayStation Plus Premium library will not be supported on the handheld. Meanwhile, as expected, PS VR2 titles also won’t be playable on PlayStation Portal.

The handheld device’s pricing has also been confirmed. The PlayStation Portal will retail for 199.99 USD / 219.99 EURO / 199.99 GBP / 29,980 YEN. It’s set to launch sometime this year, though a specific release date hasn’t been announced. Sony says those details will arrive later, when pre-orders go live.

Meanwhile, Sony has also unveiled new audio accessories for the PS5 in the form of the wireless Pulse Elite headset and Pulse Explorer earbuds.

The sizeable handheld is clear to see in the images, which also show its internal components, while what look like some menus can also be seen in the footage. The footage also seems to suggest that the Project Q will be running on Android.

Previously, Sony has confirmed that the Project Q, for which an official name has yet to be revealed, will feature an 8-inch HD screen, and will also come with all the buttons and features that are found on the PS5’s DualSense.

As per recent leaks, the handheld device will have a battery life of just 3-4 hours.

PlayStation Project Q Leaks:#PlayStation #ProjectQ pic.twitter.com/9ssXnb399U

— @Zuby_Tech (@Zuby_Tech) July 22, 2023

PlayStation Project Q Leaks:#PlayStation #ProjectQ https://t.co/gyFrsW7xkN pic.twitter.com/0R0yQIdr0I

— @Zuby_Tech (@Zuby_Tech) July 22, 2023

As per a report published by Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Project Q will have a surprisingly low battery life of just 3-4 hours. Given the fact that the device is as it is going to be unable to play games natively, many would have described it as a bit of a hard sell already, and if it does turn out to have that kind of a battery life, that opinion is only bound to become more common.

Upon its announcement, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan confirmed that Project Q was due out sometime later this year, with information on the portable device set to be shared in the “near future”. Leaks prior to its announcement claimed that the handheld was targeting a launch sometime in mid to late November.

An official name for the device hasn’t been announced yet, with Sony only confirming its internal codename, Project Q. Project Q is a streaming-only device that will be able to stream your PS5 games via Remote Play over WiFi. It will feature an 8-inch HD screen, and will also come with all the buttons and features that are found on the PS5’s DualSense.

Meanwhile, Sony has also unveiled new official PlayStation bluetooth earbuds. Compatible with PS5 and PC, they will offer lossless audio. Further details on both these accessories haven’t been revealed, so we don’t know what their price or release date is (or hell, even their official names), but Sony says more information will follow in the coming months.

It was claimed in leaks last month that Project Q was targeting a November launch- read more on that through here.

Project Q‘s official Discord server has since been shut down.

“The first closed test was a great milestone for us because of all the work put in from the team, your amazing support, and your great reception,” says the announcement on Discord, according to Insider Gaming. “We loved the amazing energy on this discord, it was our fuel for the project. Your feedback was a true gift and allowed us to grow as developers in order to do our best for you, our players.”

“All these warm moments make this announcement harder to make: sadly we have to cancel our upcoming closed tests as Project Q will no longer continue development. This also means that we will need to shut down this Discord server.”

The studio behind Project Q hasn’t really given much in the way of details about the game’s cancellation in its announcement. “We don’t have further information to communicate right now but we want to thank you all for your passion and your love for Project Q,” says the announcement.

Project Q was originally announced back in April 2022. Described as a team battle arena title, the game was rumoured to have extensive playtests throughout its time in development. The game never got an official release window, however.

Ubisoft would stress that Project Q wasn’t a battle royale, but rather a more straightforward PvP game with a host of different game modes. Recent reports have also revealed that the company has had “at least a dozen” battle royale games in development at one point.

Have more allegations of toxic work culture, sexual harassment, and bullying emerged, like the former chief creative officer who reduced the roles of women in several Assassin’s Creed games because “female protagonists wouldn’t sell”? Or the Ubisoft Singapore director that was removed for racism and toxicity but is still reportedly working at the publisher, according to a spokesperson’s statement to Kotaku at the time?

Or the current creative director of Assassin’s Creed Codename Red, accused of verbal abuse, unwanted sexual advances and cultivating a “climate of fear”? Has the company still done nothing about the pending allegations, as the workers union Solidaires Informatique Jeu Vidéo reported one year after the incidents?

Did it cancel more games like the Splinter Cell VR title, Ghost Recon Frontline and two other unannounced titles? Did its recent games underperform or outright fail? Was Sea of Thieves – sorry, Skull and Bones, delayed again, this time to an unknown date?

Sadly, all of these questions could apply. In its latest report discussing 2022-2023 results and adjusting its 2023-24 projections, Ubisoft revealed that sales were “surprisingly” slower than expected. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, whose predecessor was successful, and Just Dance 2023, which has always had mainstream appeal, underperformed. Before its launch in March, Skull and Bones was delayed to 2023-24, which could mean anything from April 1st to March 31st, 2024. Three more unannounced games have been cancelled. Its stock price in the US hit a seven-year record low.

If all that wasn’t enough, the company is implementing $200 million in cost reduction. But hey, on the bright side – if one could look at it that way – Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are also releasing in the 2023-24 window. A large unannounced premium game (likely the next single-player focused Ghost Recon) is coming in the same time frame. Some free-to-play games are also launching. Woo.

And just a quick update on the current projects. Beyond Good and Evil 2 is nowhere to be seen (and potentially been rebooted), having beaten Duke Nukem Forever in having the longest development cycle for a video game after its 2008 announcement. Great news, though – Ubisoft assures that it’s still in development. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was reportedly having development troubles, and Ubisoft Massive’s Star Wars game is still a ways off. The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake has had numerous delays and is also a long way off.

Skull and Bones is a train wreck, reportedly costing over $120 million in June 2021, so you can expect its budget to be even higher now (which puts the $200 million cost reduction into perspective). It’s also reportedly too big to fail, which is another way of saying that its failure would be utterly disastrous. Good thing there’s a $70 price tag and very little story to go with its multiplayer, with playtesters reporting that there isn’t a whole lot to the latter either.

XDefiant, a competitive shooter that apparently recycled assets from The Division, was viewed negatively on its reveal and doesn’t have a release window. Project Q and Pathfinder are reportedly still in play-testing, and there’s no indication of them releasing this year. Ubisoft’s free-to-play tussles in general, outside of Rainbow Six Siege, have been pretty underwhelming. The next Far Cry, reportedly a live-service title, is also further off than originally planned.

There is some hope, with projects like the Splinter Cell remake in development. Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe has reportedly received praise internally. The Division Heartland could arrive sometime this year, and impressions have been generally good. The jury’s out on The Division: Resurgence, a mobile looter shooter based on Massive’s franchise, but Rainbow Six Siege Mobile seems like a good idea, given how successful the base game is. Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade, which recently leaked for mobile, looks pretty good as well.

Unfortunately, that’s all in the future. In the present, the here and now, Ubisoft’s state is dismal. It could look to be acquired or merged with another publisher in the future, right?

The cherry on top of this debacle is a report by Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, who revealed, “Ubisoft definitely already did the rounds proposing acquisitions and mergers with other similar companies, and it mostly got laughed at.” Imagine that: A company with the Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and Rayman IPs laughed at when discussing acquisitions and mergers. That too in an age where acquisitions are highly sought.

The company’s strength – a distributed development structure with studios worldwide – was looked at as too unwieldy and an “albatross” (in Grubb’s words). That’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner language for “a psychological burden that feels like a curse.” Alternatively, “a burden that is difficult to escape.” Neither positive metaphors.

Did I mention the massive exodus of employees over 18 months, as reported by Axios in December 2021, either due to competitive start-ups that paid more or the terrible working conditions at Ubisoft? The extent of this was bad enough to have reportedly “stalled or slowed projects,” which puts all of the delayed and cancelled games into greater perspective.

Amid all of this, it’s easy to look at Ubisoft’s current state and ask, “What the hell?” if you weren’t stunned silent by the utter mismanagement on display.

Granted, you could look back at its debacles with Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed Unity in 2014, the Assassin’s Creed 2 PC DRM controversy, its shameful handling of the allegations, or its tryst with NFTs, and say that it survived through those. You could look back at its full-year 2021-22 earnings, which saw Assassin’s Creed Valhalla having great success, Far Cry seeing its best year after the launch of Far Cry 6 (though sales numbers are still pending), and Rainbow Six Siege still having millions of players, and say that it still has big highs.

However, when it rains, it pours. And with the publisher projecting a loss of $537 million for the fiscal year ending March 2023, it is a terrible day for rain.

It’s all the sadder for the thousands of people still there. If the worst comes to worst and Ubisoft does shut down or has to make extensive cuts, their livelihoods are affected. All because management and leadership can’t properly budget and run projects while treating their employees with respect, let alone common decency.

It’s hard to say where Ubisoft goes from here, or what it can do to salvage it. A change in leadership would be the most obvious thing to do, though it will likely never happen. Paring down its so-called ambition and pushing more projects like Assassin’s Creed Mirage that don’t have hundreds of hours of gameplay and require dozens of avenues of monetization, or hundreds of employees to support them around the clock would be a good start. Ensuring its quality would also be nice. After all, fans have been clamoring for an old-school Assassin’s Creed, but a good one would be even better.

Supporting its current endeavors like Rainbow Six Siege with new content and features while attracting new players would also be nice. Why not have some co-op PvE content, since that was so well-received with Operation Chimera (before it was ripped out and turned into a terrible game like Extraction)? Why not provide some classic tactical gameplay that older titles were renowned for?

Of course, these are just a few solutions. The overarching issues go right to the top. If anything is to be fixed or improved, they must be addressed. No chasing the latest trend, or telling people you’re taking things seriously without actually doing anything. No mistreatment of employee. No dumping money into projects that have been in development for years and still have no signs of releasing. It shouldn’t have to be this hard.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The first is reportedly set for late January, followed by the second in April and the third in June. Each test reportedly lasts about a week, and while the content is unknown, a Ubisoft source revealed that “significant changes” had been made since the last test.

While the publisher says Project Q isn’t a battle royale, one of the modes, “Showdown,” apparently has mechanics from the same (as per footage seen by Insider Gaming). Another mode, “Battle Zone,” involves two teams of four players fighting to capture points and was the focus of the first playtest.

A release window for Project Q hasn’t been confirmed, with Ubisoft stating it to be in “early development” last year. Other multiplayer projects still in testing include the controversial competitive shooter XDefiant and the PvE shooter Pathfinder. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

“2022-23 will see the first benefits from this strategy as we look to significantly grow our top line,” says the report. “The biggest driver of our topline growth will be our diverse line-up of premium games, including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Skull & Bones, as well as other exciting titles.”

Free-to-play releases will also reportedly “benefit” the company with “some of them” undergoing internal and external test phases while being in the “final stages of development.”

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is slated to release this year for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Google Stadia with Ubisoft Massive seeking playtesters last month. It could be released in time for the next film, Avatar: The Way of Water, which is out in December. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was previously thought to be delayed to next year but is seemingly on track for a Holiday 2022 release on Nintendo Switch.

As for Skull and Bones, footage of its recent playtest leaked which prompted Ubisoft Singapore to release a new gameplay clip. It’s still currently slated for release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Regarding the company’s free-to-play releases, XDefiant has reportedly added DedSec from Watch Dogs as a faction after dropping the “Tom Clancy” branding. There’s been no official word on Ghost Recon Frontline, though a brand new title in the series is reportedly coming next year.

Then there’s Project Q, a team battle title that’s currently in “early development,” though its free-to-play status hasn’t been confirmed. As always, stay tuned for more details.

Ubisoft clarified that Project Q isn’t a Battle Royale title but instead offers a “variety of PvP modes with one single goal in mind: Fun!” Naturally, there would be concerns about the whole “own the experience” part, especially with the company recently teasing NFT drops in future titles. It doesn’t have plans to add NFTs to Project Q but that doesn’t mean those plans can’t change later.

While its platforms haven’t been confirmed, there are options for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC on the registration page.

As per insider Tom Henderson’s report, Project Q allegedly has two modes – Showdown where four teams of two players fight each other, and Battle Zone which is a 4v4 mode where players control different parts of the map to accrue points. Along with weapons like hammers, fireworks, paint guns and cards, players can also acquire abilities like Icarus Wings for flying. There are also “Wonders” that change up one’s play-style.

Project Q is developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux and while it’s not confirmed to be free-to-play, the developer’s official website prior to the announcement said it’s working on “a new F2P PvP game.” As always, stay tuned for more details.

https://twitter.com/Ubisoft/status/1517896643345108995

By the way, this is not a Battle Royale. The game will feature a variety of PvP modes with one single goal in mind: FUN!

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) April 23, 2022

We don't have plans to add NFTs to this game, you can find out more by registering and taking part in the upcoming tests!

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) April 23, 2022

https://twitter.com/Ubisoft/status/1517913127828049924

Reportedly, Ubisoft Bordeaux is working on a new PvP battle arena game that’s currently codenamed Project Q, playtesting for which has now started. The game, which was initially leaked in last year’s GeForce Now leak, will allegedly have two modes. Showdown is a battle royale-style mode, where four teams of two players each will go up against each feature. Battle Zone, meanwhile, is a battle arena 4v4 mode, where teams will fight each other to maintain control over certain areas of the map in a race to get to 100 points first.

According to Henderson, Project Q has an art style similar to the likes of Overwatch and Knockout City, while you can also expect its weapons to be similarly off-beat, with the likes of hammers, sticks, paintguns, fireworks, and even a deck of cards all being usable weapons. Players can also pick unique abilities and skill, such as Icarus Wings, which will allow you to fly. According to the report, players will be able to mix and match their weapons, skills, and abilities, and pick three “Wonders” for their character, all of which will affect how you play.

Interestingly, as Henderson points out, Ubisoft Bordeaux’s website states that the studio is currently working on “a new F2P PVP game” that is “currently unannounced.”

Clearly, Ubisoft is looking to expand aggressively where the free-to-play space is concerned. Recently, Henderson also reported that the company was working on a PvPvE third person shooter dubbed Pathfinder. Several other free-to-play multiplayer titles are also confirmed to be in the works, including Ghost Recon Frontline, Roller Champions, XDefiant, and The Division Heartland.

Reportedly, Ubisoft has 20 updates and announcements planned for the near future, which will also include reveals for unannounced titles such as The Crew 3, a new Assassin’s Creed game, an Immortals Fenyx Rising sequel, and a 2.5D Prince of Persia game.