Handheld Sony PS6 In Plans
After over a decade, Sony could return to the handheld market – with a portable Playstation 6, which is said to be stronger than an Xbox. The planned “PS6 Portable” console will allegedly play PS5 games without special updates.
Handheld playstation with PS5 compatibility
Sony reports on a portable version of PlayStation 6, which should be able to play PS5 games without additional adjustments by developers. This console, known as the “PS6 Portable” or “PS6P” short, could be significant progress in the handheld gaming market if it actually comes onto the market as if rumored.
The decisive technology behind this compatibility is the so -called “Shader Binary Compatibility”. This would enable the portable console to carry out PS5 games without special updates or patches from the developers. Players could therefore simply install the PS5 version of a game and play-just like they are using a conventional PS5 console.
Performance between Xbox Series S and PS5
According to information from the “Keplerl2” leaker in Neogaf Forum (via Wccftech) the PS6 Portable should be more powerful than the Xbox Series S, but should not quite reach the performance of the current PS5. The AMD chip of the handheld console was therefore specially developed for operation with low voltages in order to ensure an appropriate battery life.
However, this performance difference could have an impact on the gaming experience. Without special optimizations, PS5 games on the portable console could have performance problems. Developers would have the opportunity to optimize their games through updates for the PS6 portable, but would not be obliged to do so.
Sony’s return to the handheld market
With the PS6 Portable, Sony would return to the handheld market after over a decade. After the commercial failure of the Playstation Vita, the company had withdrawn from this segment. Despite technical superiority, the Vita published in 2011 could not build on the success of the predecessor Playstation Portable (PSP), which was sold over 80 million times worldwide.
However, the market for portable game consoles has changed significantly in recent years through devices such as the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck and Rog Ally. Especially the success of the Nintendo Switch with over 140 million units sold shows that handheld consoles are still in great demand-even if the Japanese make the balancing act a classic console via TV dock.
The PS6 generation will probably not come onto the market before 2027. In a statement as part of the Microsoft takeover of Activision Blizzard, Sony already indicated in 2022 that a new generation of consoles could not be expected before this. Nintendo presents the Switch 2 in detail in the overview trailer
Growing competition in the handheld segment
The handheld market could be very competitive in the coming years. In addition to the Nintendo Switch 2, which was expected for June, and the rumors over an Xbox handheld console from Microsoft would also start Sony with the PS6 Portable in this competition.
In addition, there are Windows-based handhelds like a possible new version of the Steam Deck or Rog Ally. The technical challenge for Sony is to find the balance between performance and battery life. The PS5 is known for its high electricity consumption, which would be problematic in a portable version. The shader compatibility could be a clever compromise to use the library without having to squeeze the full hardware performance of the PS5 into a handheld format.
