The PSP3 may make PS5 games portable with hardware that surpasses the Steam Deck

We’ll admit that we were once sceptical of the PSP3‘s existence, but with every passing day, it seems more likely to be real. In fact, recent leaks of a “Project Canis” suggest that Sony’s next generation of portable PlayStation might be more powerful than the Steam Deck in terms of raw hardware. Slated to release in late 2027, let’s have a look at what the leaks suggest for the future of this portable console.

Even without PlayStation’s technology, the PSP3 is meant to have a native 4.91 TFLOPS in handheld, blowing the Steam Deck’s specs out of the water. But, according to well-known, reliable leakers KeplerL2 and GameGPU, the PSP3 will also have PSSR 3.0 technology, which allows games to appear at 1080p despite actually rendering at 540p. PSSR 3.0 will also give the PSP3 higher TFLOPS, at an estimated 10-11 in handheld mode and 14 in docked.

Alongside the resolution upgrades, the PSP3 is also said to have 24GB of RAM. Even compared with the PS5 Pro, this is a massive jump in speed, meaning GTA 6 should theoretically be smoother than ever. The fact that the PSP3 may rival the full PS5 console in a portable format makes it a formidable console to watch out for.

These are truly impressive specs, if they’re true, but naturally, they’ll come at a price. KeplerL2 also said recently that the price will be at least $600 at this stage in time, and given the ASUS Rog Ally X comes in at $999.99 for the same amount of RAM, we definitely could be staring down the barrel of at least a thousand bucks, unless a small miracle happens with the price of hardware between now and the end of next year.

Weight and battery life are also things to consider – if the PSP3 is to live up to its name, it needs to strike a balance between being light and having a decent battery life. The Steam Deck has a 50Whr battery, which allegedly offers 3-12 hours of gameplay, according to the console’s website. That’s for a total weight of 640 grams. By contrast, the Nintendo Switch 2, which weighs 441g, has a battery capacity of just 19.7Whr, which is 2-6.5 hours, according to the company.

The PSP3, in order to get the horsepower it’s rumored to have, will probably have to go big on battery, meaning it’ll be heavy like the Deck or a Rog Ally, but you’ll at least be able to use it for more than a couple of hours without it dying. Only time will tell what the damage will be on that front, but as long as my arms don’t fall off, I’m sold on any size.

What’s your theory about the PSP3’s price and battery? Will the Steam Deck 2 beat it out? Let us know your thoughts over on the Pocket Tactics Discord, and we’ll see you soon.