Key Takeaways
1. Sony is reportedly developing two versions of the next-gen PlayStation 6: a standard home console and a handheld device, each with different performance specs.
2. The introduction of Low Power and Power Saver modes for PS5 games aims to ensure compatibility on the less powerful PS6 handheld.
3. Sony is prioritizing Power Saver Mode support for developers over updates for the PS5 Pro, encouraging optimized game performance on limited CPU threads.
4. Future games may need to operate on varying CPU configurations, reflecting the different designs of the PS6 home console and handheld.
5. The release of the PS6 consoles is still a long way off, and Sony is unlikely to confirm the existence of the handheld version soon.
For a while now, there has been chatter about Sony working on several next-gen PlayStation 6 consoles. Reports indicate that we could see a standard PS6 home console alongside a PS6 handheld. Naturally, these two gaming systems will differ significantly in performance due to their varying CPU, GPU, and memory setups. If there truly are two PS6 consoles with distinct specifications, Sony will need to make sure that game developers consider these differences.
Power Modes and Compatibility
Some analysts, such as Moore’s Law Is Dead, believe that Sony is introducing Low Power and Power Saver modes for PS5 games. This move seems to be a strategy to ensure that PS5 games run smoothly on the less powerful PS6 handheld when it is released. Recently, Moore’s Law Is Dead reported that Sony has updated all PS5 Software Development Kits (SDKs) to version 1.0 to include support for Power Saver Mode. This means that the latest SDK now has Power Saver Mode enabled by default.
Developer Guidance
According to the source behind this leak, Sony is prioritizing Power Saver Mode support over game updates for the PS5 Pro (which can be found on amazon.com). The source also mentioned that there are “new Low Power modes coming soon” and that Sony is encouraging developers to make sure their games can function on just eight CPU threads. The PS6 handheld console is said to have 4x Zen 6c cores alongside 2x Low Power (LP) cores. The four Zen 6c cores, equipped with eight threads in total, are mainly intended for gaming purposes. Thus, Sony’s insistence on developers optimizing their games for 8x threads hints at the imminent release of the PS6 portable.
Future CPU Configurations
Adding more weight to the claims about the PS6 handheld, the document cited by MLID’s source reportedly states that “games may operate in settings with various CPU configurations.” This implies that Sony is indeed informing developers that their games might need to function on consoles with differing CPUs in the future, which is directly linked to the PS6 home console and the PS6 handheld having completely different CPU designs.
In conclusion, it’s becoming more and more evident that Sony is in the process of creating multiple next-gen PS6 consoles, including a portable version. Unfortunately, the release of the PS6 consoles is still quite a ways off. Therefore, it’s improbable that Sony will acknowledge the existence of a portable gaming device in the near future.
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