Sony’s PlayStation 5 has been transformed into a portable device by some talented Chinese modders. This creation, often compared to a laptop without a battery, showcases a substantial 17.3-inch display and has a design that brings to mind the hefty gaming laptops of the past. Weighing over 9 pounds, it’s certainly eye-catching at first glance.
Inside the 3D-printed case of the BBook AI Original Edition, you’ll find all the inner workings of a PS5. The biggest perk of this unique setup is undoubtedly the large screen—boasting a 17.3-inch 4K IPS display with complete 100% DCI-P3 gamut coverage. However, it’s held back by a 60 Hz refresh rate, which is a bit of a letdown for fast-paced gaming.
An HDMI 2.1 port is conveniently located on the side, allowing you to hook up an external monitor, though this somewhat detracts from the device’s portable premise. Unfortunately, there’s no built-in battery to support it on the go, so you’ll need to keep it plugged in. The PS5’s power demands hover around 200W, which means even with a sizable 100Wh battery, you’d only get about half an hour of runtime.
In terms of connectivity, there’s a USB Type-A 10 Gbps port on one side, but be prepared for the noise—this device reportedly hits sound levels of 71.3 dB, comparable to a roaring sports car. Essentially, this contraption is a fully functional PlayStation 5—featuring PlayStation OS—and notably, the first PC able to run Astro Bot. How many gaming laptops can boast that?
The BBook AI carries the same specifications as a traditional PS5, with an eight-core CPU based on Zen 2 architecture and a GPU with 36 Compute Units utilizing RDNA 2 technology, not to mention 16GB of unified GDDR6 memory and 825GB of PCIe 4.0 storage. Forking out $2,750 for it means paying over five times the cost of a standard PS5. Even better, they’ve thrown in a keyboard—though whether it’s mechanical or membrane remains a mystery, given only the images to go by.
While the concept behind BBook AI is portability, the weight of the laptop plus its adapter is nearly double that of a Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8 running on an RTX 4090, which also includes a substantial 99Wh battery. If you’re looking to save some cash, consider a portable monitor priced between $700 and $1,000 paired with a PS5—setting you back the same amount based on your monitor choice. Ultimately, the BBook AI stands as an amusing do-it-yourself endeavor, even if it’s not exactly practical.
