Everything we know so far about Sony’s next console

Sony launched the PlayStation 5 during the 2020 holiday season. Not only is the PS5 more powerful than the PS4, but it also offers a variety of features not found in the previous generation, such as a high-speed SSD, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 3D audio support, and more. Not to mention, the new DualSense is the biggest change in controller design in PlayStation history.

Now that we’re in the second half of the PS5’s lifecycle, it’s time to start thinking about what Sony has in store for us next. What innovations can Sony bring to its sixth-generation consoles? There are already some leaks and rumors circulating, and in this PS6 Rumor Hub, we’ll tell you all about it. Here’s everything we know about the PlayStation 6 so far.

Until we get to a future where games can be streamed without reliability issues, latency issues, etc., there will always be a need for new consoles. Although Sony has yet to acknowledge the existence of a sixth-generation PlayStation, the company is undoubtedly working on its development. We’re at least a year away from the PS6’s release before we’re likely to hear anything about the PS6, and it could be a few more years.

Will there be more than one model?

When the PS5 launched, Sony offered two versions of the system – one with a disc drive and one without. The disc-less digital version is priced at $100 less than the disc version, providing buyers with a cheaper option. It’s difficult to tell whether Sony will take the same approach with the launch of the PS6. More people than ever are specifically purchasing digital copies rather than physical copies. Considering that the new PS5 digital version can be equipped with an external optical drive, this may give us a hint of Sony’s future strategy.

Sony may choose to make an all-digital PS6. However, Sony may design the console in a way that allows customers to connect a disc drive, which will be sold separately. This is all speculation, of course, and we’ll have a better idea of ​​what to expect as launch gets closer.

• PlayStation 3 — November 11, 2006
• PlayStation 4 — November 15, 2013
• PlayStation 5 — November 12, 2020

When it comes to consoles, it’s generally not difficult to predict release windows, especially for the PlayStation. On average, the life cycle of a console lasts six to ten years. For Sony in particular, the company prefers closer to six or seven, with seven being the more common option. Sony almost always releases new systems in November to get ahead of holiday shopping. The only ones that weren’t there were the original consoles and PS2, but they were released just a month later in December.

With this knowledge, it’s safe to assume that the PS6 will be released in November. And it may be launched in 2026 or 2027. Sony Executive Vice President of Hardware Engineering Masayasu Ito also confirmed this in an interview. game informant The PS5’s life cycle is expected to be six to seven years. However, according to Microsoft, the company has the option to extend the PS5’s life cycle by one year.

Leaked documents (via IGN) revealed that Microsoft expects Sony to release the hardware in late 2027 or 2028. Of course, Microsoft has limited knowledge of the decisions being made internally at Sony. But since Microsoft expects the PS5 cycle to be longer, we tend to believe that the most likely release date for the PS6 may be November 2027.

It’s too early to start talking about specs and features as the release is probably still a few years away. But we’ll do our best to gather the little information we can about the PS6 and provide more information as it becomes available.

design

The PS5 revolutionizes Sony’s typical design philosophy. What the company’s next gaming opportunity might look like is anyone’s guess.but one Rumors are circulating on the Internet It is claimed that PS5 chief architect Mark Cerny will return to the helm.

If we had to hazard a guess right now, we’d suspect the PS6 will be smaller than the PS5. When the PS5 launched, it earned the title of the largest gaming console ever. In fact, the console was so big that it inspired memes about how people couldn’t fit the system into their entertainment centers. It’s hard to believe Sony would choose to make the system bigger.

Glasses

PS6 will be more powerful than PS5; this is generally the view of new generations. But what will be under the hood of the next-gen console to give it that extra oomph? As with many other parts of this rumor hub, there aren’t enough PS6 leaks or rumors out there to form solid speculation at this time. However, it might be helpful to point out how the PS5 works.

PS5 is powered by a 3.5GHz octa-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and a custom AMD RDNA 2-based GPU. There is also 16GB GDDR6 RAM and 825GB custom SSD. Additionally, it supports 120Hz output and variable refresh rate (VRR) for 4K and 8K TVs. You can check out the full details in our PS5 specs list.

Sony can choose to upgrade every one of these specs or just some of them. We’ll just have to wait a little longer to see what PS6 leaks come out.

feature

The PS5 comes packed with countless features, many of which may be coming to the PS6. Sony is sure to add new features to existing ones. But at this stage, it’s too early to tell what Sony will add to its next system. Some possible candidates might include storage expansion, backwards compatibility, 3D audio (Tempest and/or Dolby Atmos), and cloud streaming.

We may eventually see more PlayStation Link integration. PlayStation Link is a proprietary wireless audio connection standard created by Sony. It is said to offer lossless low-latency audio, multi-device connectivity via Bluetooth, and other benefits. Sony uses the standard in its PlayStation Portal, Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite headphones, but ignores Bluetooth. Sony will most likely want to integrate this technology into its next-generation consoles to have a more connected ecosystem. Unfortunately, this also means bad news for anyone looking to use their current Bluetooth earbuds or headphones.

Given the current craze for artificial intelligence, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sony considered incorporating AI into its next system in some way. We could see it come in the form of helping players get game tips, similar to what Google planned to use with Google Assistant in the now-defunct Stadia. Despite the controversy, we might even see the technology leak into the games we play. For example, NVIDIA showed off a conversational NPC demo powered by artificial intelligence in early 2023. Xbox also recently partnered with AI NPC creator Inworld this year.

Sony has filed for a number of interesting patents, and some of the more high-profile ones relate to potential controller functionality. A recent patent describes a controller that doubles as a headphone charging case. Another patent envisions a controller that can change temperature and deformation. However, as with any patent, there’s no guarantee Sony will move forward with any of these ideas.

• PlayStation 3 — $499
• PlayStation 4 — $399
• PlayStation 5 Disc/Digital Edition— $499/$399

No official pricing has been given yet, and we don’t expect that to happen anytime soon. It’s still too early for any leaks or even rumors about pricing. So all we can do right now is guess.

For the past few generations, PlayStation consoles have started at a price range of $399 to $499. This is the range Sony and its closest rival Microsoft tend to target when launching new consoles. Ever since the $600 60GB PS3 was poorly received, the company has tried to avoid that price point.

With all of this in mind, we don’t think Sony will give up on this strategy. Therefore, the PS6 price will most likely not be lower than $399, nor higher than $599.

As with any decision involving money, whether you should wait for the PS6 depends on time and your situation. For example, the PS6 may still be a few years away from release, so if you currently own a PS4 or Xbox One and want to upgrade, you’re better off buying a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. On the other hand, if you have a PC or Xbox Series X|S and are willing to wait, you might as well wait for the PS6.

At this point, the answer is almost always no; you shouldn’t wait. But that will change once we launch a year or two later. As mentioned, we are now halfway through the life cycle, so it will be some time before the status quo changes.

If you need an alternative to the PS6, you might want to consider the Xbox Series X ($449 at Amazon). Or you could opt for the OLED Nintendo Switch ($348 at Amazon). Valve has also released an OLED version of the Steam Deck, which features many improvements over the original ($549 from the manufacturer’s website).