Rumors about the next generation of PlayStation hardware have been dominating the tech world for months, and a fresh leak is putting things into perspective. According to the information, Sony is working not only on a home console but also on a handheld console that will be part of the PS6 ecosystem. Moreover, the company has already begun preparing game developers for this new hybrid setup.

Critical Instruction to Developers: “Prepare for Low Power”

The source of the leaks is YouTuber Moore’s Law Is Dead (MLID), known for his accurate predictions in the tech world. Allegedly, Sony is sending new guidelines to game studios requesting that games be optimized to run on systems with varying CPU, GPU, and memory limits. This strengthens the idea that Sony will offer two different hardware configurations in the PS6 generation: a powerful main console and a portable handheld console.

MLID also points to Sony’s recent software strategy. The fact that the “Power Saving” mode is now offered as the default in PS5 software development kits (SDKs) is no coincidence. Sony is reportedly focusing even more on these low-power modes than on PS5 Pro optimizations. This move is seen as laying the groundwork for full compatibility with the future handheld console.

The most striking technical detail in the leaked documents is the requirement that games be designed to run on only 8 CPU threads.

• Handheld Console Architecture: Allegedly, the portable device will feature 4 Zen 6c cores (offering 8 threads). There will also be 2 low-power cores for background processing.
• Main Console: The standard PS6, however, will feature a much higher-performance and more complex CPU architecture.

By imposing these limitations now, Sony aims to guarantee that games run smoothly on both massive televisions and handheld screens.

Although the PS6 family is still years away from release, SDK updates and guidance given to developers prove that Sony will not ignore the popularity of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. Although Sony has yet to make an official statement, leaks suggest the handheld console is central to the PS6 strategy.