Portable PlayStation to get RDNA 5 graphics and 24 GB of memory
New details have emerged about Sony’s portable console, known by the codename Project Canis.
Graphics
According to Digital Foundry, Sony may have a kind of exclusive access to custom RDNA 5 graphics for its portable console. This is probably not a formal agreement preventing AMD from supplying RDNA 5 to other companies, but rather a result of how semi-custom processors are developed.
AMD is becoming more selective about making specialized chips for portable devices, requiring customers to commit to sufficiently large production volumes to recoup the cost of developing a separate SoC. Sony is presumably prepared to provide the necessary scale.
This could allow Project Canis to get RDNA 5 ahead of most competing handheld systems. However, manufacturers of Windows-based consoles will still be able to use off-the-shelf AMD processors with next-generation graphics later, once such products reach the market.
Sony and AMD are also working together on Project Amethyst technologies. These include Neural Arrays to accelerate AI computations, dedicated Radiance Cores for ray tracing, and Universal Compression, designed to reduce memory bandwidth demands. It has not yet been confirmed that all these technologies will be implemented in Project Canis in full.
Competitors
Insider Kepler_L2 previously claimed that AMD had asked Microsoft to guarantee the purchase of at least 10 million chips to develop a specialized processor for a portable Xbox. Microsoft reportedly considered that volume too risky and abandoned the project.
However, this information remains disputed: Windows Central journalist Jez Corden later questioned the claim that AMD had made such demands.
The situation is somewhat different for ASUS, Lenovo, Valve, and other manufacturers. They can use standard AMD mobile processors, but getting a separate semi-custom chip requires significantly larger production volumes. Sony could therefore gain a temporary advantage in access to a specialized RDNA 5 version.
Specifications
According to previous leaks, Project Canis will have a 3 nm AMD processor with six cores: four Zen 6c cores and two energy-efficient Zen 6 LP cores.
The graphics subsystem is said to include 16 RDNA 5 compute units. In handheld mode, the GPU will be able to run at around 1.2 GHz, and at up to 1.65 GHz when connected to a dock.
The device is also rumored to have 24 GB of unified LPDDR5X memory on a 192-bit bus. According to preliminary reports, the processor’s power consumption will range from 15 to 25 W, depending on the operating mode.
A separate leak claims that in the most demanding games, the console will be able to use an internal resolution of around 540p, then upscale the image to 1080p. This will reportedly use the next version of PSSR, which sources are calling PSSR 3.0.
However, Sony has not announced PSSR 3.0, so both the technology’s name and the claimed upscaling specifications remain unconfirmed.
Other features
Previous leaks also point to backward compatibility with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games. The device is said to have a microSD card slot, support for an M.2 SSD, a touchscreen, haptic feedback, and dock support.
In that case, Sony would effectively be trying to combine the full PlayStation ecosystem with a handheld console, rather than repeating the PlayStation Portal concept, which was designed primarily for streaming.
Release date
Sony has not officially announced Project Canis or confirmed the device’s specifications, price, or release date.
According to previous leaks, production of the console could begin in 2027, with a release reportedly planned for around the same time as the next generation of stationary PlayStation consoles. However, the final timeline remains unknown.
