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

Recently, a group of creative modders from China has reimagined Sony’s PlayStation 5 into a laptop-style device, showcased on Weibo. Although the BBook AI is more of a hefty gadget without an internal battery, its striking appearance certainly grabs attention. Complete with a substantial 17.3-inch screen, this device brings back memories of older, bulkier gaming laptops, tipping the scales at over 9 pounds.

The BBook AI Original Edition incorporates the PS5’s internal components within a 3D-printed case. Let’s be honest, the primary advantage of owning this custom creation is its screen. It boasts a generous 17.3-inch 4K IPS display with full 100% DCI-P3 coverage, although it is capped at a 60 Hz refresh rate, which some may find underwhelming.

It includes an HDMI 2.1 port, allowing you to hook up to an external monitor. However, doing so slightly undermines the whole point of having a portable system in the first place. This setup also requires constant AC power since there’s no built-in battery—something you can’t really fault the modders for, given the PS5’s 200W gaming power draw, which would deplete a 100Wh battery in just 30 minutes.

The tech specs do align with the PS5: an eight-core CPU based on Zen 2, a GPU with 36 compute units built on RDNA 2 architecture, and a non-expandable 16GB of unified GDDR6 memory paired with 825GB of PCIe 4.0 storage. Despite its impracticality, enthusiasts can technically play PS5-exclusive games like Astro Bot on this setup. While it features a keyboard as shown in the images, it’s anyone’s guess whether it’s membrane or mechanical.

For a steep price of $2,750 (about 19,999 Yuan), this uber-expensive PS5 transformation costs roughly 5.5 times more than a regular PS5. Interestingly, this hefty price tag doesn’t even grant portability to match its promise, as the combined weight of the device and its adapter is double that of a Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8 with RTX 4090, which boasts a battery.

In essence, while the BBook AI is an intriguing DIY endeavor, it’s not the most practical solution. A smarter—and way cheaper—approach would be to invest in a decent portable monitor along with a standard PS5, which should collectively set you back between $700 and $1,000, depending on the monitor you choose. Yet, the novelty factor of this ambitious project cannot be denied.