PlaySolana debuts first handheld console on SOL

Players in the Solana ecosystem have had their eyes on mobile devices since the Saga phone, and a SOL-based team has also announced its web3 gaming claim.

Less than twenty-four hours before the Solana (SOL) Breakpoint in Singapore, a SOL-based team called Play Solana announced the first portable gaming console built on top of the layer-1 blockchain. The startup has named the gaming device “Play Solana Gen1” or “PSG1.” Some social media users noted that it resembled retro gaming machines like the popular Nintendo Game Boy.

The gaming device will ship with support for SOL’s decentralized network, but the specific web3 games users will be able to play have not yet been revealed. PlaySolana has also noted that the device may differ from the images shown in promotional mockups, and a launch date has not yet been announced.

As Web3 adoption expands globally, more blockchain development teams are exploring mobile devices. The SOL Saga phone successor, dubbed the “Seeker,” has surpassed 140,000 pre-sales after emerging from stealth.

In the gaming space, Mysten Labs, the organization behind another layer-1 chain called Sui (SUI), has also announced a console. The SuiPlay0X1 claims to be the world’s first web3-native portable gaming device. Units of this Sui device are scheduled to ship in the first half of 2025.

It’s unclear how successful these related blockchain gaming initiatives will be. As Crypto.news reported, an Elympic study found that platforms like Telegram are likely to greatly drive web3 gaming adoption in 2024.