Chinese modders have made Sony's PlayStation 5 portable (Credit: VideoCardz) in a laptop-esque battery-less form factor at Weibo. BBook AI has a massive 17.3-inch display and a rather chunky build reminiscent of old bulky gaming laptops. It weighs over 9 pounds, but it is visually a real head-turner.
The BBook AI Original Edition's 3D-printed chassis houses the PS5's internal components. Realistically, the only edge you'd have with this custom laptop is the included screen - featuring a large 17.3-inch 4K IPS panel with full 100% DCI-P3 coverage. However, it is limited to a disappointing 60 Hz refresh rate.
The added HDMI 2.1 port at the side allows you to connect an external monitor but diminishes the essence of this machine. There is no built-in battery, so you'd rely on AC power to run the laptop. Blame the design, not the modders, since the PS5 consumes roughly 200W while gaming, landing a not-so-great 30-minute runtime if equipped with a 100Wh battery.
There is a USB Type-A 10 Gbps port for connectivity to the laptop's right. The report mentions that BBook AI is extremely loud, reaching 71.3 dB - said to be comparable to the sound of a sports car. And to reiterate, the laptop features a fully functional PlayStation 5 inside - running PlayStation OS - so this is technically the first PC to run Astro Bot; can your gaming laptop play the GOTY?
The BBook AI offers the same specs as the PS5, running an eight-core CPU based on Zen 2 and a 36 Compute Unit (RDNA 2) GPU, with 16GB of non-upgradeable unified memory and 825GB of PCIe 4.0 storage (M.2 2242). For the listed price of $2,750, you'd be spending 5.5X more than a standard PS5. The laptop even includes a keyboard - at least if we go by the pictures, though we aren't sure if it's membrane or mechanical.
While the BBook AI's idea is portability, the laptop with the adapter is two times heavier than an RTX 4090-powered Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8, which includes a 99Wh battery. To save money, get a portable monitor between $700 and $1,000 and a PS5 instead—which should cost $700-$1,000, depending on your monitor choice. Still, the BBook AI is just a fun DIY project—even if it is impractical.
