The Solana ecosystem is taking a leap into hardware with the forthcoming launch of its first handheld gaming console. Play Solana, a project dedicated to building a Web3 gaming device on the Solana blockchain, announced that it will start shipping its Play Solana Gen 1 (PSG1) device on Oct. 6.
The device comes with gaming-ready specs, including an octa-core ARM processor, 8 gigabytes of RAM, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and a touch LCD display. It also includes a built-in hardware wallet and fingerprint authentication, allowing users to store crypto assets while playing games. It also launched a limited non-fungible token (NFT) collection that allows a group of 2,000 holders to have early access and other ecosystem perks.
The launch comes as the Solana ecosystem continues to push deeper into consumer-facing products, following earlier experiments such as the Saga smartphone. In 2022, Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of Solana Labs, introduced Saga, an Android-based, blockchain-focused smartphone. It gave users access to native Web3 tools like a Seed Vault, the Solana Mobile Stack and a decentralized applications (DApp) store tailored for Solana ecosystem participants. The Saga introduction triggered mixed reactions from community members, but ultimately saw a successful launch in 2023, causing a frenzy among users.
In 2023, the product fetched up to $5,000 on eBay as the phone came with a free airdrop of the BONK memecoin. The phone had an original $599 price tag on the Solana Mobile website. In 2024, Solana Mobile unveiled a second-generation mobile phone, saying it would not just be a “memecoin phone.” In 2025, the phone had 150,000 pre-orders, with revenue estimated to be at $67.5 million.
On Aug. 5, Solana Mobile said it started shipping the Seeker phone in over 50 countries. Apart from Play Solana’s PSG1, blockchain network Sui also dived into physical Web3 gaming devices. In 2024, Sui blockchain creator Mysten Labs said it would deliver SuiPlay0X1, a handheld gaming device integrated to the Sui network in the first half of 2025.
NFT platform Candy Digital has announced plans to migrate its digital collectibles ecosystem to the Solana blockchain, signaling…
The U.S. military has confirmed it is actively running a Bitcoin node as part of national security research, while…
The Web3 gaming sector is facing a harsh reality check as new data reveals that more…
Justin Sun, founder of TRON, has filed a federal lawsuit against World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture…
Tether has frozen approximately $344 million in USDT on the Tron blockchain after the wallets were flagged by U.S. authorities, marking…
Prediction market platform Kalshi has fined and suspended three U.S. congressional candidates after determining they engaged in “political…