All the pieces we all know up to now about Sony’s next-gen console

Sony launched the PlayStation 5 throughout the vacation season of 2020. Not solely was the PS5 extra highly effective than the PS4, nevertheless it additionally provided quite a lot of options not accessible within the prior technology, like a high-speed SSD, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 3D audio assist, and extra. To not point out, the brand new DualSense was the largest departure in PlayStation’s historical past relating to controller design.

Now that we’re within the latter half of the PS5’s lifecycle, it’s about time to start out serious about what Sony has in retailer for us subsequent. What improvements might Sony carry to its sixth-generation console? There are already leaks and rumors spreading about, and on this PS6 rumor hub, we’ll inform you all about them. Right here’s every thing we all know concerning the PlayStation 6 up to now.

Till we attain a future the place video games might be streamed with out reliability questions, latency issues, and so forth, the necessity for brand spanking new consoles will at all times be there. Though Sony hasn’t acknowledged the existence of a sixth-generation PlayStation, the corporate is undoubtedly engaged on its improvement. We received’t doubtless hear concerning the PS6 till we’re at the least a 12 months away from its launch, and we’re in all probability a couple of years out from that.

Will there be a couple of mannequin?

When the PS5 launched, Sony provided two variations of the system — one with a disc drive and one with out. The disc-less Digital Version offered for $100 lower than the disc model to present consumers a less expensive choice. For the time being, it’s tough to inform if Sony will do the identical for the discharge of the PS6. Extra folks than ever are solely shopping for digital copies slightly than bodily ones. And provided that the brand new model of the PS5 Digital Version might be fitted with an attachable disc drive, this may occasionally give us a touch at Sony’s future technique.

It’s potential that Sony might choose to make a single all-digital PS6. Nevertheless, Sony could design the console in a manner that permits prospects to connect a disc drive, which might be accessible on the market individually. After all, that is all hypothesis, and we’ll get a greater concept of what to anticipate the nearer we get to launch time.

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

With regards to recreation consoles, it’s often not too arduous to foretell launch home windows, particularly in relation to the PlayStation. On common, console lifecycles final wherever between six to 10 years. For Sony, specifically, the corporate tends to lean nearer to 6 or seven, with seven being the extra frequent selection. Sony additionally nearly at all times releases its new programs within the month of November to get forward of vacation buying. The one instances it didn’t was for the unique console and the PS2, however they launched solely a month later in December.

With this information, it’s doubtless secure to imagine the PS6 can be launched in November. And there’s a chance it can come out in 2026 or 2027. Sony’s Government VP of {Hardware} Engineering, Masayasu Ito, additionally confirmed in an interview with Sport Informer that the PS5’s lifecycle is predicted to be six to seven years. Nevertheless, the corporate might select to increase the PS5’s lifecycle by an additional 12 months, in accordance with Microsoft.

Throughout Microsoft’s courtroom struggle to accumulate Activision Blizzard, leaked paperwork (by way of IGN) tipped that Microsoft expects Sony to launch the {hardware} in late 2027 or 2028. After all, there’s solely a lot that Microsoft can find out about what selections are being made inside Sony. However as a result of Microsoft predicts an extended PS5 cycle, we’re inclined to imagine the almost definitely launch date for the PS6 might be November 2027.

With the launch doubtless being years away, it’s a bit of early to start out speaking about specs and options. However we’ll attempt to scrape collectively what little data we have now concerning the PS6 and supply extra data because it turns into accessible.

Design

The PS5 was a drastic change in Sony’s typical design philosophy. It’s anybody’s guess as to what the corporate’s subsequent console will appear like. However a rumor floating across the web claims that Mark Cerny — lead architect of the PS5 — can be again on the helm.

If we needed to enterprise a guess proper now, we’d suspect that the PS6 can be smaller than the PS5. When the PS5 launched, it earned the title of the most important recreation console of all time. The console is so massive, in reality, that it spawned memes about how folks had been unable to suit the system into their leisure facilities. It could be arduous to imagine that Sony would select to make the system even greater than that.

Specs

The PS6 can be extra highly effective than the PS5; that’s often the purpose of latest generations. However what is going to the next-gen console have below the hood that offers it that additional oomph? As with many different sections on this rumor hub, there aren’t sufficient PS6 leaks or rumors to kind a strong guess for the time being. Nevertheless, it might assist to level out what the PS5 is working with.

The PS5 makes use of a 3.5GHz eight-core AMD Zen 2 for its CPU with a customized AMD RDNA 2-based GPU. There’s additionally 16GB of GDDR6 RAM with an 825GB customized SSD. Moreover, it has assist for 120Hz output for 4K and 8K TVs and variable refresh charge (VRR). You may see a full breakdown in our PS5 specs checklist.

After all Sony has walked again 8K recreation assist guarantees in current instances and now not shows this as a taking level on the PS5 field. After all the PS6 remains to be a couple of years away and it’s potential 8K gaming may truly be extra viable by then.

Sony might select to improve every of those specs or just a few of them. We’ll simply have to attend a bit of longer and see what PS6 leaks come our manner.

Options

The PS5 comes outfitted with numerous options, a lot of which can in all probability discover their manner into the PS6. Sony will most definitely embody new options together with these current options as properly. However at this stage, it’s too early to inform what Sony will stuff into its subsequent system. A number of potential candidates might embody storage growth, backwards compatibility, 3D audio (Tempest and/or Dolby Atmos), and cloud streaming.

One thing else we might find yourself seeing is extra PlayStation Hyperlink integration. PlayStation Hyperlink is a proprietary wi-fi audio connectivity commonplace created by Sony. It’s mentioned to supply lossless low-latency audio, multi-device connections, and different advantages over Bluetooth. Sony adopted the usual — whereas neglecting Bluetooth — in its PlayStation Portal, Pulse Discover earbuds, and Pulse Elite headset. There’s a very good likelihood Sony needs to include this know-how in its subsequent console to have a extra related ecosystem. Sadly, this additionally means unhealthy information for anybody who needs to make use of their present Bluetooth earbuds or headphones.

Given the present frenzy over AI, it wouldn’t be a lot of a shock if Sony was contemplating incorporating AI into its subsequent system in some kind of manner. We might see this come within the type of one thing like serving to gamers get hints for the video games, much like how Google was planning to make use of Google Assistant for the now-defunct Stadia. Though it’s controversial, it’s potential we could even see the know-how leak into the video games we play. For instance, NVIDIA confirmed off a demo in early 2023 of a conversational AI-powered NPC. Xbox additionally lately partnered with AI NPC creator Inworld this 12 months.

Sony has filed numerous fascinating patents, with a few of the extra notable ones associated to potential controller options. The newest patent described a controller that might double as an earbuds charging case. One other patent imagined a controller that might change temperature and deform. Like with any patent, nonetheless, there’s no assure Sony will transfer ahead with any of those concepts.

• PlayStation 3 — $499
• PlayStation 4 — $399
• PlayStation 5 disc/digital version — $499/$399

No official value has been given but, and we don’t count on that to occur anytime quickly. It’s additionally too early for any leaks and even rumors concerning the value to be floating round. As such, all we will do for the time being is speculate.

For the final couple of generations, the beginning value of PlayStation consoles has been between $399-$499. That is the vary each Sony and its closest competitor — Microsoft — have a tendency to focus on when launching a brand new console. And ever for the reason that poor reception of the $600 60GB PS3, the corporate has tried its finest to steer away from that value level.

Taking all of this under consideration, we don’t see Sony shifting away from this technique. So, the worth of the PS6 will almost definitely be no decrease than $399 and no increased than $599.

As with every determination involving cash, whether or not it’s best to look ahead to the PS6 relies on time and your state of affairs. For instance, the PS6 is probably going years away from launch, so for those who at present have a PS4 or Xbox One and need to improve, it might in all probability be higher so that you can simply get a PS5 or Xbox Sequence X|S. Then again, you probably have a PC or Xbox Sequence X|S and are high quality with ready, then you definitely may as properly look ahead to a PS6.

Right now, the reply will nearly at all times be no; you shouldn’t wait. However that can change as soon as we get a 12 months or two out from launch. As talked about earlier than, we’re about midway within the lifecycle proper now, so it is going to be some time till that establishment adjustments.

When you want a substitute for the PS6, you could need to contemplate the Xbox Sequence X ($489 at Amazon). Or you might go for the OLED Nintendo Change ($348 at Amazon). Valve additionally launched an OLED model of the Steam Deck that gives numerous enhancements over the unique ($549 at Producer web site).