A new PlayStation handheld powered by AMD is in early development, and it will apparently be compatible with both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 titles.
As reported by Moore's Law is Dead in a new YouTube video, the Japanese company is apparently planning to re-enter the handheld market with new hardware. The console will be powered by a custom AMD APU and is currently in the High Level Design Phase, meaning that it is at least two years away and hasn't been greenlit for release yet.
The specs for this new PlayStation handheld have yet to be defined, but Moore's Law is Dead speculates it's likely to utilize 18 CUs to maintain compatibility with all PlayStation 4 titles available on the PlayStation Store. In addition, the console will be compatible with PlayStation 5 titles as well, although developers would have to patch them to make them run properly on the console. As such, it's plausible the new system's GPU could run at 1.8 GHz or slower due to the PlayStation 5's variable clock speeds.
While the new PlayStation handheld could be just two years away, there's the chance it will take more time to see its release if it is greenlit, as it has been suggested to Moore's Law is Dead that the console will be part of the PlayStation 6 family, releasing as a handheld alternative meant for the Japanese market.
While a new PlayStation handheld could sound unlikely, the market has changed a lot since the days of the PlayStation Vita. The Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck, and all other similar systems proved how there's demand for similar devices, so it wouldn't be surprising for Sony to get back into it with a system that could fare much better than the Vita, as it would be compatible with home console titles. As of now, however, we have to take everything with a grain of salt, and wait until an official confirmation to see if Vita will mean life once again.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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