New PS5 Update May Have Quietly Revealed the First PS6 Portable Game

A new update to PlayStation 5 may have just given us our first look at a PS6 compatible game. According to reports, Sony is preparing certain PS5 games to be able to run on PlayStation 6’s handheld console.

PlayStation May Have Just Previewed the First PS6 Portable Game

In July, Sony rolled out the PS5 Power Saver mode, which reduced the wattage certain games need to run. At the time, SIE said this was part of their initiative to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. However, several tech insiders speculated that it could also be in preparation for the PlayStation 6’s release in 2027. Specifically because it’s rumored to launch with a portable console; after all, handheld devices need to run games at much lower energy.

If true, we might have just gotten our first look at a PS6 Portable game and what we can expect from it performance-wise. On October 16, Bluepoint Games silently released a patch that added Power Save Mode to Demon’s Souls Remake. Players who have tested the new feature say the game largely matches PS5 Performance Mode at 30 FPS. However, more importantly, Demon’s Souls Remake now uses only 98W instead of the usual 224W. That is a significant reduction in energy usage.

If the PS6 portable is able to run a game like Demon’s Souls Remake at 30 FPS at those low energy rates, that is incredibly impressive. Users on the gaming enthusiast forum ResetEra uploaded in-game screenshots of the 2020 remake in Power Save Mode, and it still looks incredible graphically. This latest update has led some to speculate that Demon’s Souls could be one of the first PS6 games that will be compatible with the system’s secondary handheld device.

Leak Claims PS6 Will Prioritize Power Efficiency Over Raw Graphics

Of course, whether Power Save Mode is actually intended for PS6 Portable or not is complete speculation at this point. So take this with a major grain of salt. Still, Sony being able to pull this off at least gives us an idea of what could be possible when their next-gen console launches in a few years. The fact that they can get a game as beautiful as Demon’s Souls Remake to run that efficiently certainly gives hope that the PlayStation 6 Portable will be a capable device.

The new Power Saver Mode also lines up with the PS6 specs leaks from August. According to tech insider Moore’s Law Is Dead, Sony is leaning heavily into reducing power consumption with their next-gen console. Based on the leaked hardware, PlayStation 6 will not be as powerful as the next-gen Xbox console. The new device instead focuses on energy efficiency and affordability. But with Sony also reportedly releasing a PS6 portable console at launch as well, lowering power consumption would line up with that as well.

Demon’s Souls PS5 Update May Be Our First Glimpse of PS6 Strategy

Ultimately, we don’t know if the new Power Saver Mode in Demon’s Souls Remake is intended for PS6 Portable. As I said above, Sony released a statement saying this is part of a larger company initiative to reduce energy. 

But this is still intriguing nonetheless. It appears to be some of the first signs that PlayStation is moving closer towards the strategy that has reportedly been leaked for their next-gen console plans for PS6.