Everything we know about the portable PlayStation before the announcement
Sony continues development of the autonomous portable PlayStation console under the codename Project Canis. A new leak reveals the console’s specifications, including a 3-nm chip AMD, 24 GB of unified memory, and RDNA 5 graphics.
Processor and graphics
Unlike the PlayStation Portal, the device should run games locally rather than stream video over a network.
The console is expected to be based on a custom 3nm AMD processor with six Zen 6 cores: four Zen 6c cores and two energy-efficient Zen 6 LP (Low Power) cores. The latter are anticipated to be used primarily for operating system tasks and background processes.
The graphics subsystem is built on the RDNA 5 architecture and includes 16 compute units. The leak also mentions support for Dual-Issue FP32, which enables two FP32 operations per clock cycle under suitable workloads.
The console will receive 24 GB of unified LPDDR5X memory with a 192-bit bus. The power consumption limit is stated to be in the range of 15 to 25 W.
Portable and dock modes
Similar to Nintendo Switch, the Project Canis console is designed with dock support, and performance will depend on the use case.
In portable mode, the graphics processor runs at 1.2 GHz and delivers a theoretical computational performance of approximately 4.91 TFLOPS.
In dock mode when connected to a TV, the GPU frequency increases to 1.65 GHz, and computational performance reaches 6.75 TFLOPS.
PSSR 3.0
One of the key components of the system should be the next version of the PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) scaling technology, which sources refer to as PSSR 3.0. It is credited with supporting frame generation and utilizing specialized hardware blocks for neural network computations.
In the most demanding games, Project Canis will render at an internal resolution of approximately 540p and then upscale to 1080p on the built-in display. The target frame rate will be 30-60 FPS, and frame generation should further enhance image smoothness. In docked mode, the image will scale up to 4K.
With PSSR 3.0 enabled, sources estimate the so-called effective performance at approximately 10-11 TFLOPS in portable mode and around 14 TFLOPS when using a dock. This should bring perceived graphics quality closer to that of home PlayStation consoles.
According to earlier reports from insider Kepler_L2, Project Canis is also expected to outperform the Xbox Series S in rasterization and show a significantly greater difference from it in ray tracing.
Compatibility with PS4 and PS5
Project Canis should be able to launch PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games independently, enabling use of the existing library without mandatory streaming from a home console.
Earlier leaks also mentioned a microSD card slot, the ability to install a SSD M.2 format drive, a touchscreen, two microphones, and haptic feedback.
Release dates and price
The release of Project Canis is expected by the end of 2027. Earlier leaks linked the launch of the portable system to the next-generation PlayStation and cited a window from fall 2027 to early 2028. However, new data does not confirm that Project Canis and PlayStation 6 will necessarily go on sale simultaneously.
The official price of the new product is unknown. Earlier estimates suggested a level of at least $600, but this is not an established retail price from Sony. Insider Kepler_L2 claimed that given current LPDDR memory costs, releasing such a console for $600 is practically impossible, so the final price may end up higher.
Sony has not yet officially confirmed the name Project Canis, its specifications, or the device’s release date. Sources from Bloomberg confirmed in 2024 that a standalone portable PlayStation capable of locally running PS5 games is under development. At that time, the project was in an early stage of development, and no final decision on its release had been made.
