PS5's new power saver mode could pave way to PlayStation handheld

A new PS5 firmware update could eventually pave the way for a native PlayStation handheld.

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Sony is preparing a new PlayStation 5 console feature that will natively scale the console's GPU and CPU hardware to dial back how many watts the system uses. Remember that the PS5 has variable power draw, meaning how much power it pulls in will change based on how it's being used. Typically, the PS5 will draw between 160-220W while playing 4K games, with more demanding games drawing more power.

While this move is technically part of Sony's company-wide energy conservation plan, gamers also speculate that this firmware update could help prepare Sony's PS5 platform for a new handheld device.

With this update, you may notice a new option in your settings menu called Power Saver. While this feature won't be available during the beta phase, once it officially launches, supported PS5 games will scale back performance**** and will allow your PS5 to reduce its power consumption when the feature is enabled optionally by gamers. If not enabled, or if games do not support the feature, the performance will not be scaled back and power consumption will not be reduced.

****While Power Saver is active, VR mode is unavailable. Also, some gameplay features may be limited.

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Read Also:Opinion: Sony could make a native PS4 handheld to carry multi-gen legacy into the future

The demand for a dedicated PlayStation handheld could be met, if it's high enough. Sony's relatively new PS Portal is a handheld lite; it doesn't natively play games, and is marketed as a "remote player" device instead of a gaming handheld.

The speculation is high that a new PlayStation Vita successor might be on the way. After all, Microsoft is about to launch the Xbox Ally X this holiday season--will Sony respond with its own dedicated PlayStation-branded handheld?

Reports indicate that Sony has prototyped a PlayStation 5 handheld that's capable of natively playing console games.

The PS5 is no slouch, and while gaming handhelds have pushed the bar insofar as on-the-go performance, delivering PC-esque quality at medium 30FPS ranges, it's possible that Sony's new PlayStation Spectral Resolution scaling technology could be the secret sauce to unlock higher frame rates on a smaller, lower-resolution screen.

This device would be the opposite of the Xbox Ally X handheld; Sony's theoretical PS5 device could play console games, whereas the Xbox Ally X is technically a Windows 11 PC that plays PC versions of games, not native Xbox versions.