Over in China, some modders have taken on the ambitious task of transforming Sony’s PlayStation 5 into a portable device. They’ve done this by crafting it into what resembles a hefty laptop, minus the battery. Known as the BBook AI, this creation boasts a massive 17.3-inch display and sports a build that harkens back to the bulkier gaming laptops of yesteryear. Weighing in at over 9 pounds, it’s certainly something that grabs attention.
Diving into its construction, the BBook AI Original Edition encapsulates the PS5’s guts within a 3D-printed outer shell. While it may not offer groundbreaking hardware advantages over a regular PS5, it does present a strikingly large 17.3-inch 4K IPS display. That said, this display is capped at a mere 60 Hz refresh rate, which feels a bit underwhelming for what it tries to achieve.
On the connectivity side, there’s an HDMI 2.1 port to hook up an external monitor if desired, but this kind of undermines the whole portability aspect of the device. There’s no onboard battery, so you’re tethered to an AC outlet whenever you want to use it. This isn’t a fault of the modders—it’s just the reality of PSU power demands, which can hit 200W during gaming sessions, translating to a mere half-hour of juice if you dared to add a hefty battery.
For further tech specs, the BBook AI’s innards mirror that of a PS5, featuring an eight-core Zen 2 CPU and a RDNA 2-based GPU with 36 Compute Units, alongside 16GB of unified, non-upgradeable GDDR6 memory, and 825GB of PCIe 4.0 storage. Its price tag sits at a rather staggering 19,999 Yuan, or about $2,750, making it over five times as expensive as a standard PS5. Oh, and it does come with a keyboard, though it’s unclear whether it’s mechanical or a traditional membrane type.
Considering portability, this device doesn’t quite hit the mark, even with its intended design. Including its adapter, it’s significantly heftier than the Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8, which packs an RTX 4090 and doesn’t skimp on battery life with its 99Wh power unit. For those mindful of costs, a PS5 paired with a portable monitor might make more sense financially, totaling around $700 to $1,000 as opposed to the grand sum required for the BBook AI.
In the end, even if this isn’t the most practical solution, it’s hard not to admire the creative spirit behind the BBook AI. It’s a testament to DIY ingenuity in the gaming world, bringing a unique twist to the console experience.
