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

A group of talented Chinese modders have taken Sony’s PlayStation 5 and transformed it into an intriguing portable gadget, albeit without a battery. Imagine a device that looks like a chunky old-school gaming laptop and boasts a hefty weight of over 9 pounds—yet undeniably catches the eye.

This creation, dubbed the BBook AI Original Edition, features a cleverly engineered 3D-printed shell that houses the internal components of a PS5. The stand-out feature here is undeniably the screen: a colossal 17.3-inch 4K IPS display with perfect 100% DCI-P3 coverage. However, it does fall short on refresh rate, capped at just 60 Hz, which might disappoint fast-paced gaming enthusiasts.

While the laptop includes an HDMI 2.1 port for connecting to an external monitor, doing so somewhat defeats the purpose of its design. Keep in mind, the BBook AI needs to be plugged in since it doesn’t come with a built-in battery. The hefty power consumption of the PS5—around 200W during gaming—means even a 100Wh battery would only give you about half an hour of gaming fun.

The build sports a USB Type-A 10 Gbps port conveniently positioned on the right. Notably, this custom laptop gets loud—clocking in at 71.3 dB, akin to the roar of a sports car. In a unique twist, since it runs PlayStation OS, it’s actually the first PC to let you enjoy Astro Bot. How many gaming laptops can claim that?

Spec-wise, the BBook AI mirrors a standard PS5, with an eight-core Zen 2 CPU, a 36 Compute Unit RDNA 2 GPU, complete with 16GB of unified GDDR6 memory and 825GB of PCIe 4.0 storage. Now, this doesn’t come cheap; at $2,750, you’re spending about 5.5 times more than the console alone. Photos suggest it includes a keyboard, but details are sketchy on whether it’s membrane or mechanical.

Aimed at bringing portability to the PS5 experience, the BBook AI with its adapter tips the scales at twice the weight of a Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8—an RTX 4090-toting beast with a 99Wh battery. For the more budget-conscious gamer, a separate portable monitor and PS5 would be a savvier choice, totaling between $700 and $1,000 depending on your monitor pick. Ultimately, while the BBook AI might not be practical for everyday use, it represents a fascinating DIY challenge that sparks the imagination.