PS5 energy savings mode can reduce console performance

Sony began testing a new power savings mode on PlayStation 5, available in a beta update of the system. Called Power Saver, this mode appears in console definitions and was officially announced as a functionality created to reduce power consumption while playing. This mode is part of the company’s Road to Zero Environmental Plan, which aims to achieve carbonic neutrality by 2040.

At this time, Power Saver cannot be activated as no current game is compatible with it. Technical details on performance changes when this mode is activated were not publicly disclosed.

Digital Foundry has analyzed the mode based on beta update and privileged information, and has raised doubts about whether the main objective is really energy savings. They report that according to unofficial data, Power SAVER can significantly reduce console performance, namely by limiting the memory bandwidth and GPU watches, which would have a direct impact on the fluidity of the most demanding games. This would require adjustments from producers, unusual when it comes to energy efficiency.

These data allow you to think that Power Saver mode may have another goal. According to rumors discussed in specialized forums and by some leakers, such as Kepler_L2, this mode is being used to test a reduced performance profile compatible with a possible portable PlayStation device. Unconfirmed information reports limitations such as a CPU with fewer threads, a lower clock speed GPU, slower and unsupported memory for virtual reality, settings that would make sense in a portable device with reduced power consumption.

None of this has been confirmed by Sony, but the requirement of later compatibility studios, combined with these technical limitations, puts the possibility of Power Saver paving the way to another type of hardware, not just to reduce the electricity bill.

Beta update has also brought with it improvements to the DualSense: commands can now be paired with various devices at the same time, such as PS5, PC or smartphones, without the need to manually reconnect.

For now, Power Saver mode is still in the testing phase, without visible effects for users, and there is no official confirmation of plans for portable devices. You need to wait to see Sony’s next steps and realize if this functionality goes beyond energy efficiency. Lower part of the form