Will the PS5 be a normal console? (Probably... but....)

To keep up the fine tradition of mad speculation in the build up of a new console gen i have been wondering: Is the PS5 going to have the ability to run off a battery? Could it have vastly different SKUs (perhaps not at launch but over it's lifetime)?

Now before anyone goes insane: i don't think for one second that sony are going to go directly after the switch as standard. it would be more an option rather than the standard PS5 model IF my wild speculation has some actual merit.

The way the PS5 is set up just seems to be suited to power efficiency over outright performance at a given price. Out of the box, as a console, that may not be quite true as they need to flog all the horsepower they can out of it. But drop the clocks a good bit and the power requirements would also drop sharply. Every chip has its sweet spot but few run at their sweet spot.

If we think of it in terms of the requirements of a portable then all of a sudden sonys decisions around the PS5s setup actually do make a lot of sense.

But why would they do this? Well it could be a way for sony to have their cake and eat it too.

It would allow them to go after the switch and portables (tablets, surface PRos etc) in general. Even 1/2 a PS5 would be an amazing portable and would certainly mush the switch in terms of its abilities. Connected to a 10"-12" 1080P screen (reducing the workload) it could be brilliant. A bit heavy but grand for pottering around the house, playing in bed and slipping into a backpack.

The other benefit is that it would allow sony to deliver untethered VR. Anyone remember the backpack PC? Sony do like their VR and there are strong indicators that a PSVR2 is in the works. They were (and maybe still are) also working on wireless but the tech for it may not be a runner in time due to cost reasons (Wireless VR is hard. HTC have done it but its not perfect i hear). Again 1/2 a PS5 would still be pretty solid at VR...certainly a lot better than a PS4. I was looking at a backpack PC from HP which contained an 8th gen I7 and a 2080 with 32GB of ram. That's quite powerful but it was still compact....ish. drop the clocks of the PS5 and it could be made more compact again.

By doing this they haven't overly compromised the traditional console side but it could give them options to go after other segments of the market too.

As i say, this is just wild speculation on my part. All part of the pre new gen fun :). Any merit to it? would anyone like a console/hybrid like that?

Keep up with the medication.

Google switch and then google some images on how the ps5 is supposed to look, then put them up against each other at see if you can spot a problem for the ps5 being portable...

We have no idea what the PS5 will actually look like...just speculation. Sony have been very cagey on it.

So for its size: modern thin-ish laptops have some pretty potent power in them. e.g.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/razer-blade-15-nvidia-rtx-2080-super-16gb-15.6-fhd-300hz-intel-i7-10875h-gaming-laptop-lt-015-ra.html

That is a hell of a lot thinner than my old gaming laptop for example and still a very potent machine. If anything the weight there is the bigger issue. The PS5s setup gives it some advantages in terms of cramming it in a smaller chassis. one chip rather than 2 for the CPU and GPU for example. more efficient CPU too (and only clocked at 3.5GHz rather than 5 also).

When i say portable i'm not talking phone or even switch portable. im more talking 10"-15" tablet (but thicker for cooling and the battery) portable. Something that can be played around the house. Not something you slip in your pocket.

@osan0: You won't get anywhere near PS5 specs in a tablet design for probably another 5 years at least. Realistically closer to 7 or 8.

@r-gamer: You wont at full clocks: true. the power draw would be undoable and the cooling would be a nightmare. you would burn through the battery very very quickly.

But cut the clocks significantly....that can make a big difference. the idea is that it would run at full tilt when plugged in but cut its clocks when running on a battery. Like a laptop. but developers would have finer control. As i say: even half a PS5 is a very potent handheld and a solid VR device.

Sony have made no claims as to the base clocks of the PS5. They have also, to my knowledge, never stated that the power target of the SOC is fixed.

From a development perspective, 3rd party devs still need to develop for a wide range of hardware. for the next few years at least the X1, PS4, PS4 pro and X1X are still going to be considered. then there is the myriad of PC CPUs floating around. What extra burden is a PS5 running at a portable as well as a full tilt mode?

I don't want any focus from Sony on portables anymore. They had great tech with the PSV and left it to rot with no games after only two years.

Huge F**K YOU to Sony for that blunder.

Keep PS5 specifically a TV console and focus on quality games for it. That's their winning formula.

If you carry half the PS5 on the back and half at the front it would also work as a protective armor for when the aliens invade.

Oh i feel your pain on the vita. such a wonderful machine burdened by the memory card fiasco and sonys attitude of treating it as a second class citizen was awful. They got the hardware (and the OS...i'm going to say it...i love the vita UI.) bang on. A real missed opportunity that :(.

However if sony tried to make an all in one like i'm speculating on then it would be the best of both worlds. They can give people a choice in how they play their games and they still give it their undivided attention. Except for VR due to the unique requirements of that. But thats coming anyway to the PS5 in some form.

Maybe i should explain this a bit better. Hopefully this makes some sense:

The PS5 console (which at first looks like a normal console) is revealed and its announced that the processing/storage part of the console can be detached from the rest of the console.This is basically just a small-ish (by console standards) unit that contains the SOC, SSD, RAM, Mobo, some connectors and enough cooling to run the PS5 at half it's clocks (the base station, if you will, would have some extra fans to push more air through the heatsink when playing on a TV so it can run at full clocks.)

E3 2021 Sony announce a new SKU/addon kit that will allow PS5 owners to take their processing module on the go. It will contain a 15" 1080P screen, battery, any other bits and bobs needed and maybe a slightly different dual sense 5 (something a bit flatter and easier to stick in a backpack). It will basically allow you to play your PS5 games on the go. Of course the PS5 wouldn't be running at full tilt in this setup but it could still run all your non VR PS5 games. just at lower detail settings and/or a lower framerate (depending on how the developer decides to handle it).

CES 2022 sony then announce a PSVR2 as a new sku/addon. It will contain the new VR headset, new move controllers, 2 batteries (1 for the PS5 and 1 for the headset itself) and a backpack you put your processing module into. This will allow you to play PSVR games with no tether. If you look up backpack PC you will get the idea.

Having an internal battery inside a console like a clock radio is a great idea. Especially so for newer systems that have so much to lose when power goes out and they aren't shut down.