The Power Saver mode available on PS5 is not related to the rumored PlayStation handheld, according to a new report.
During the latest episode of DF Direct, the team at Digital Foundry addressed speculation that the PS5’s Power Saver mode may have been introduced as groundwork for its rumored PlayStation handheld. However, co-host Richard Leadbetter indicated that information from sources points in a different direction.
Leadbetter said sources familiar with the matter suggest the two are “very different things” and should not be confused with one another. The implication is that Sony Interactive Entertainment did not specifically design the PS5 feature in preparation for the rumored handheld. He further described the feature as essentially an “EU friendly move.” The functionality was reportedly intended as a something along the lines of a “media mode,” but it was not built specifically around the requirements of the company’s rumored portable hardware.
Speculation surrounding the handheld has focused on its expected power efficiency. The discussion referenced leaked specifications pointing to a 15-watt TDP, with the system reportedly expected to use newer manufacturing technology and architectural improvements to deliver a handheld PlayStation experience. According to Digital Foundry, achieving PS5-level performance within a handheld’s power and thermal limitations would be difficult.
The team also clarified that the rumored handheld and PlayStation 6 should be considered separate products. The discussion suggested that Sony Interactive Entertainment is developing both devices independently rather than turning the handheld into a lower-powered companion to its next-gen console.
Recently, an official Linux kernel patch mentioned a “low-power core designed for minimal power consumption during background or idle workloads,” essentially confirmed the existence of Zen 6 Low Power cores and giving credibility to the PS6 handheld specs previously leaked by MLID. The portable device’s CPU configuration is said to be paired with a 192-bit LPDDR5X-8533 memory controller supporting up to 48 GB of RAM. On the graphics side, the device is said to house 16 RDNA 5 compute units, clocked at approximately 1.20 GHz in handheld mode and up to 1.65 GHz when docked. Performance estimates suggest rasterization will reach around 55 to 75 percent of a PS5 in docked mode, with ray tracing capabilities projected to surpass the PS5 by a significant margin.
