Sony’s rumored PS6 handheld could have a major advantage over competing portable gaming systems, with new information suggesting it may gain early access to AMD’s next-generation graphics technology. Sony’s rumored return to dedicated handheld gaming with the PS6 could be considerably more interesting if the device ultimately reaches the market.
Rumors of a true PlayStation handheld have been building for years, with Bloomberg first reporting in 2024 that Sony was developing a portable that could play PS5 games natively rather than relying entirely on streaming like the PlayStation Portal. Digital Foundry later corroborated the PS handheld claims by saying it had heard similar information independently. Sony still hasn’t officially announced such a device, but the Portal has become less dependent on a nearby PS5, now letting PlayStation Plus Premium members cloud-stream select owned PS5 games directly. While fans are still waiting for a successor to the PSP or Vita, the idea of a true PlayStation portable has gradually become one of the most persistent pieces of next-generation hardware speculation.
Sony’s Rumored PS6 Handheld May Get a Unique AMD Advantage
The latest rumor comes from Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter on a Patreon exclusive DF Direct, who reportedly said Sony has had behind-the-scenes discussions about an “exclusive of sorts on RDNA5 for handheld” for its upcoming portable device. That wording is important, as the claim doesn’t necessarily mean Sony has paid AMD to prevent competitors from using the technology. Instead, the theory is that AMD may be less willing to devote resources to custom handheld chips unless manufacturers can guarantee sufficiently large orders, potentially leaving Sony as one of the few companies capable of justifying a bespoke next-generation design. If accurate, the PS6 handheld could therefore be the only portable with a dedicated custom RDNA 5 chip for some time.
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Game Rant | Source Images: Sony -
Image via Sony
That consideration could matter much more in a handheld than simply having a newer architecture. Portable systems are often constrained by battery life, heat, and power consumption, so efficiency can matter as much as raw graphics performance for the user experience. Current reporting on AMD’s next-generation technology points toward improvements in ray tracing and AI-assisted graphics, both of which could help a handheld render at lower internal resolutions before reconstructing a cleaner final image. Sony and AMD are also already collaborating on machine-learning graphics technology for future PlayStation consoles, making that direction particularly believable even if the specific RDNA 5 rumor remains unconfirmed. If the RDNA 5 rumor proves true, the PS6 portable could be a uniquely powerful and efficient machine compared with the current competition.
Sony would also be returning to a handheld market that looks completely different from the one it left behind after the PS Vita. Since the Vita, Nintendo has normalized portable and hybrid gaming with the Switch, while the Steam Deck eventually proved there is a sizable audience for handheld PC gaming, and devices like the ROG Xbox Ally have pushed Windows-based portable hardware much further into the mainstream. A new PlayStation portable wouldn’t be reviving the PSP era so much as entering a handheld arms race that barely existed when the Vita disappeared.
However, price may ultimately matter more than any architectural advantage. Modern premium handheld PCs can already cost close to or well above the price of a traditional console, and Sony would presumably need to balance performance, battery life, backward compatibility, and affordability if it expects a new portable to sell in meaningful numbers. A custom AMD chip could certainly give the PS6 handheld an impressive technical edge, but raw power alone won’t guarantee success. If Sony can combine that rumored advantage with strong console compatibility, efficient battery use, and a price closer to a console than a premium gaming PC, its return to handheld gaming could be far more significant than another attempt to recreate the PSP.