PlayStation 6 Handheld Leak Suggests Next-Level Performance

The long-rumored PlayStation 6 handheld is beginning to take shape through fresh leaks, and if the reports are accurate, Sony is aiming high.

According to details surfaced via Moore’s Law is Dead, the device is designed to outperform not only the upcoming Xbox ROG Ally X but even rival the base PlayStation 5 in some scenarios.

At the heart of the handheld is the Canis APU – a monolithic 135mm die on TSMC’s 3nm node, featuring 4 Zen 6c CPU cores and 2 Zen 6 low-power cores for system tasks. On the graphics side, a 16 CU RDNA5 GPU is expected, clocked around 1.2 GHz in handheld mode and up to 1.65 GHz when docked. Memory specs are equally ambitious, with a 192-bit LPDDR5X-8533 controller supporting as much as 48GB of RAM. Developers speculate that next-gen games with AI-driven features could demand at least 24–36GB, hinting Sony may go all-in on memory capacity.

The handheld reportedly includes features like PS4/PS5 backwards compatibility, MicroSD and M.2 slots, dual microphones, a touchscreen, and haptic feedback. Performance projections suggest docked rasterization at 55–75% of PS5, but with ray tracing between 1.3x and 2.6x stronger – edging close to the PlayStation 5 Pro in certain cases. With FSR 4 support, patched PS5 titles could run at near-console parity, while unpatched games would operate at more conservative settings.

Importantly, the system is also positioned to leapfrog Xbox’s ROG Ally X, thanks to RDNA5’s 40–50% faster compute units and a 60% bandwidth jump over RDNA 3.5. Analysts estimate a production cost that allows Sony to price the handheld between $399 and $499 – unusually competitive for a company often criticized for launching hardware at a loss. If accurate, Sony could even earn a slim profit at the $399 mark.

Still, skeptics note the 2027 launch window leaves plenty of time for the competitive landscape to shift. While some gamers dismiss early leaks as hype, others argue that Sony’s track record – from PSP to Vita to the underrated Portal – shows the company won’t abandon portable ambitions easily. Whether this rumored powerhouse lands as a true Switch rival or another niche experiment remains to be seen, but excitement is clearly mounting.