They noted, “The next OEM handheld APU lineup (if it happens at all, as AMD seems to be losing interest in this market) will be with their next-next-gen lineup in 2029. The only AMD handheld with AI upscaling anytime soon will be the PlayStation handheld.” It’s also seemingly a given that the handheld will have 16 GB RAM similar to the PS5 with “way higher” performance and CUs due to RDNA 5.

Interestingly, they suggest that the recently leaked Low Power Mode for PS5 will simulate the handheld’s performance. Since it only has a third of the console’s memory bandwidth, “It’s pretty obvious that a mode that cuts bandwidth in half is meant to simulate the handheld.”

Other alleged specifications include 4 MB of L2 cache and 16 MB MALL (which the PS5 and Pro lack), but it seems that LPDDR6 is “too far away still.” When asked if it was RDNA 5 or 6, Kepler responded, “Both are a fork of gfx13 (RDNA5/UDNA/whatever AMD decides to call it)

While it’s still too early for a reveal, the PS6 handheld could reportedly prove useful for developers porting their games since the process doesn’t require much work. Head here for more details.

Theoretically, this would mean that developers don’t really have to do much to get their game running on the rumoured console. Rather, the game will run on its own just fine, since it doesn’t need any extra compilation thanks to the shader binaries being compatible. On the other hand, Kepler does note that, if left alone, the performance of the game on the console might not be ideal. Rather, developers will likely have to do some work in optimising their games to get it running on the portable PS6 at smooth frame rates.

This ties in with previous reports, which indicated that the rumoured console will run off an SoC fabricated on the 3 nm node, and will be capable of using up to 15 watts of power. While not high-performance by any stretch, the efficiencies in modern chip fabrication does mean that the SoC should be fairly capable. According to Kepler, the power of the theorised handheld gaming system will sit somewhere between a PS5 and an Xbox Series S.

This also means that the SoC used for the portable PS6 will be different from what we see on the main console. According to the report, the handheld console’s chip was specifically designed to be able to run at low voltages.

While Sony is far from making any proper confirmation of a new generation of PlayStation consoles being in the works, a statement by the company back in 2022 indicated that the console could launch some time after 2027. The statement, made during Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, also included the companies worries at the time of not getting Call of Duty games on its platforms in light of the acquisition.

Going by history, Sony until the launch of the PS4, Sony had followed a 5-year console cycle from the original PlayStation all the way up to the launch of the PS3. The PS4, however, was launched in 2013, coming on the heels of the longest console generation of the time – 8 years. This has been the standard that Sony has been following since, with the PS5 having come out around 8 years after the PS4.

If the rumours about Sony working on a handheld gaming system to accompany the home console release of the PS6 end up being true, the company would be returning to the handheld gaming market after having spent over a decade away from it in light of the PlayStation Vita’s commercial failure. Sony would like prefer to emulate the success of the PlayStation Portable in that regard, especially in light of stiff competition from handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally, as well as other consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 as well as whatever Microsoft is working on.

It’s assumed that one would be a portable handheld, and evidence is seemingly mounting about its performance. Regarding whether it would be as powerful as a PS5 if launched by 2028, Kepler recently responded on NeoGAF, “No, it’s a 15W SoC on 3nm.”

Naturally, this resulted in several follow-up questions, including the point of the console if it can’t run PS5 games. The leaker clarified that it definitely can, but “not at the same resolution/FPS, mainly due to lower memory bandwidth.”

When asked if the performance is between the PS4 Pro and PS5, the leaker responded, “Hard to estimate performance since it’s using an unreleased GPU uarch, but I think it’s somewhere between Xbox Series S and PS5.” Interestingly, the alleged handheld “tapes out” a few months after the regular PS6’s SoC.

However, Sony isn’t repurposing existing PS6 chips for the handheld by having less usable CUs. “They’re different SoCs,” said Kepler and the portable is “specially designed to run at very, very low voltages.” They clarified that its CUs are a “lot less than 40” and that it’s a “different SoC” despite sharing “a few things with Soundwave.”

Sony hasn’t provided a timeline for the PS6’s launch, though Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino has indicated that it won’t be affected by the PS5’s lifecycle.