According to the latest news, the undisclosed handheld console being developed by Sony will have complete backward compatibility with PS5 games, and even those games that force the Ray Tracing function to be turned on can run smoothly.
Well-known hardware whistleblower Moore’s Law Is Dead (MLID) quoted an internal document purportedly from Sony Interactive Entertainment in the latest episode of “Broken Silicon”, describing in detail the architecture and functional features of this handheld console. According to him, the portable device is built on a self-developed APU code-named "Kanes", and the document clearly mentions "backward compatibility support" for PS4 and PS5 games. "The document clearly states that it can run PS6, PS5 and PS4 games," he said.
The document also mentions that the handheld console will support ray tracing when it is backward compatible with PS5. This means that this handheld console can run games that cannot completely turn off ray tracing features. In addition, PS4 games will also receive full backward compatibility support on the device. Terms such as "RDNA5 regional optimization" and "low-power media playback" also appear in the document, indicating that Sony is vigorously optimizing energy efficiency to meet regulatory standards in regions such as the European Union while maintaining expected performance.
MLID points out that in this day and age, retaining players' existing game libraries is a basic requirement, especially when competing with platforms that embrace backward compatibility features. Sony undoubtedly wants to ensure that users can seamlessly migrate their game libraries to PS5 and this new handheld console, avoiding any barriers to use.
The hardware tipster further claims that developers are already working on "different assets and textures for low-power modes" for existing PS5 games, indicating that optimization work for the handheld console has already begun in advance.
It is worth mentioning that MLID had estimated the retail price of PS6 and this PS handheld console in an earlier program. According to his analysis, the PS6 may be priced between US$600 and US$700, while the handheld console is expected to be priced between US$300 and US$400, which will compete with other portable gaming devices.