Sony is reportedly pushing developers to ensure PS5 games remain compatible with the PS5 Low-Power mode as a pathway to possible PS6 handheld support, even though no official announcement has been made.

Leaked emails and conversations suggest a strategy focused on preserving playable frame rates at lower resolutions rather than capping FPS at 60, all in service of a hypothetical PS6 handheld codenamed Canis.

The takeaway is that the PS5 power saver mode is seen by some as a gateway to enabling PS6 handheld capabilities, while fans hope game quality stays high in the interim.

Projections speculate a mid-2027 production timeline and a fall 2027 launch for the handheld, with price estimates ranging from $399 to $499, though these figures are not official.

All information remains unconfirmed and should be treated as rumor, with no official Sony confirmation yet.

Rumors point to an RDNA 5 chip with 16 compute units, capable of up to 1.20 GHz in handheld mode and higher when docked (potentially up to 1.65 GHz).

Canis specifications are rumor-based: 4 Zen 6c cores on 3nm, 12–20 RDNA 5 compute units, 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM, and an estimated 15 W draw, targeting about half the PS5’s rasterization performance but potentially better ray tracing.

The strategy may involve native 1080p targets on the handheld with upscaling to balance image quality and smoothness, following current handheld performance trends.

Leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead cites emails and tutorials urging developers to optimize for Low Power mode, using tools like Razor CPU to identify and trim CPU bottlenecks.

Developers are encouraged to further optimize CPU usage, potentially aided by Sony-recommended tools such as Razor to mitigate CPU bottlenecks.

Razor CPU, a PS5 development tool, provides walkthroughs to identify CPU bottlenecks in service of lower CPU usage for Low-Power mode.

The article notes a potential major PS5 library could accompany the PS6 Handheld if the leak proves true, but urges skepticism and official confirmation.