PlayStation Handheld Could Feature Exclusive Next-Gen AMD Graphics, Report Claims

Sony might have exclusive access to AMD's next-generation graphics architecture for a potential PlayStation handheld, according to tech experts at Digital Foundry. Rumors of a next-gen PlayStation handheld have been circulating for some time, fueled by the success of the Nintendo Switch and the growing popularity of PC gaming handhelds. In June, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino hinted that PlayStation could move toward more hybrid, Switch-like consoles in the future to cater to modern on-the-go players.

During the latest Patreon-exclusive DF Direct, Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter stated that "there's been some behind-the-scenes discussion that Sony has an exclusive of sorts with AMD for RDNA 5 for handheld." He also noted that the only other handheld chip he knows of in production at AMD is the upcoming Z3, which is unlikely to feature RDNA 5 graphics.

AMD and Sony have collaborated closely over the past few years, teaming up on an initiative called 'Project Amethyst,' which led to both PSSR 2 on the PS5 Pro and FSR 4.1 for PC and Xbox. Speaking of Xbox, Microsoft appears to have its own handheld gaming plans. Project Helix will encompass a range of devices, with a handheld reportedly launching first. Fortune recently reported that Microsoft aims to release a handheld by holiday 2027, followed by a next-gen console in 2028. The chips for these platforms haven't been confirmed, but AMD teased that FSR Diamond would launch with Project Helix—which includes the handheld—and that would likely run on RDNA 5.

AMD would have reason to enhance its handheld chip offerings for a wide range of devices. Intel's Panther Lake handheld chip launched at Computex 2026 and, at least in testing, significantly outperforms the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme. The Z2 Extreme only uses an RDNA 3.5 GPU, which was already an older architecture when it launched last year. The Intel Arc G3, on the other hand, uses the same GPU that powers its latest laptops, just with a few CPU cores disabled.

With handhelds becoming increasingly expensive, the entire category is at risk of fading until the RAM crisis subsides. It's possible that Sony's handheld is the only one that opts for the added cost of RDNA 5. However, unless Sony secures some kind of exclusive deal with AMD, other devices using RDNA 5 will likely appear eventually—perhaps even Xbox's own first-party handheld.

This isn't the first PlayStation handheld tease. Last year, Moore's Law Is Dead reported on an unannounced PS6 handheld that would be dockable and backwards compatible with PS4 and PS5 games. There was also a brief mention of a PS6 S, which sounded like it could be to the PS6 what the Xbox Series S is to the Xbox Series X. If true, it would presumably be a cheaper option.