Chinese Modders Convert PlayStation 5 into a $2,750 Portable Laptop with 17.3-Inch 4K Display

You’ve got to hand it to those inventive Chinese modders—they’ve managed to transform Sony’s PlayStation 5 into a portable device, even if it’s a bit unconventional. Dubbed the BBook AI, this mod features a laptop-like design, although it foregoes a battery, as showcased on Weibo. Standing out thanks to its huge 17.3-inch display and a hefty design that takes a page from the book of old gaming laptops, it weighs in at over nine pounds. It’s certainly a visual showstopper.

What makes the BBook AI Original Edition intriguing is its 3D-printed case that snugly fits the PS5’s components. The main advantage here is its integrated screen, a sizeable 17.3-inch 4K IPS panel offering full DCI-P3 color coverage. Still, it only supports a 60 Hz refresh rate, which might let down those hoping for buttery-smooth visuals.

An HDMI 2.1 port on the side gives you the option to hook up an external monitor, but let’s face it, that somewhat defeats the purpose of this portable console. The lack of an internal battery means you’ll always need AC power—a reality tied to the PS5’s hefty 200W power consumption, which would only squeeze out about 30 minutes of use on a 100Wh battery.

For connectivity, there’s a handy USB Type-A 10 Gbps port on the machine’s right side. And heads up: this device gets noisy, hitting 71.3 dB—likened to the sound of a sports car engine. It’s worth highlighting that this is a full-fledged PS5 under the hood running PlayStation OS, meaning you can play Astro Bot on what is technically the first PC platform for the game. Can your current laptop do that?

The BBook AI packs the same hardware as a standard PS5, featuring an eight-core Zen 2-based CPU and a GPU with 36 Compute Units on the RDNA 2 architecture. It includes 16GB of unified GDDR6 memory and an 825GB PCIe 4.0 storage drive. This unique setup comes with a price tag of $2,750, which is quite hefty compared to the PS5’s regular price. It even sports a built-in keyboard, although it’s unclear if it’s mechanical or a basic membrane model.

The concept here is portability, yet when you factor in the weight of the adapter, it becomes double the heft of a cutting-edge Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8 with an RTX 4090 and a 99Wh battery. For those looking to save some cash, it’s more budget-friendly to invest in a $700-$1,000 portable monitor and a PS5. But all things considered, the BBook AI serves as a fascinating DIY project, even if it’s not the most practical solution out there.