There is no doubt that PS6 is already a real project in which Sony has been working for some time. The Japanese company always embarks on the development of its next-generation console at the time it launches the current-generation model, and in many cases the R&D process begins much earlier, so said console should take At least two years in development.
Obviously we still don’t have official information about PS6, but thanks to the complicated legal process that Microsoft is facing to buy Activision Blizzard, and all the documentation that has been presented, we know that the launch of the next Sony console could take place sometime in 2028. If we do the math, we see that it makes sense, since this would leave PS5 with a life cycle of 8 years before the launch of its successor.
It’s important to remember that when a new console hits the market the end of the previous one does not occur directly, We have already seen it with PS4 and Xbox One, two consoles that are still alive despite the fact that PS5 and Xbox Series XS have been coexisting with them for more than two years. When the PS6 launches we will still be at least two years away from the end of the life cycle of PS5.
On the other hand, we have also seen rumors suggesting that Sony will not launch a PS5 Pro and that it will focus directly on PS6. This has no official confirmation, and it is information that we must take with great care, but considering how slow the transition of this generation is being and the greater balance of components that PS5 has compared to PS4, I think it deserves some credibility.
Five things that should be true of PS6
1.-It will use a new generation APU based on AMD CPU and GPU
We can take for granted that Sony will use an APU again in PS6 for two big reasons. The first is that this model is the most efficient in terms of costs for the Japanese company, since it allows you to integrate CPU and GPU in a single package, and on the other hand this also makes it possible to simplify the cooling system.
It is very easy to understand, and it is that having to buy and refrigerate two chips is not the same as having only one chip. Mount an APU too simplifies supplyand would allow Sony to negotiate a contract with more stable and interesting conditions, which would ultimately affect the final price of the console.
The PS6 APU should use an AMD CPU and GPU because, in the end, this would be the best way to ensure a backward compatibility total with previous generations, and also because would allow to have mature and stable development kits with less effort and investmentsince much of the current work could be recycled, and because the potential of PS6 would be easier to take advantage of optimally in a shorter period of time.
Switching to a different manufacturer’s CPU and GPU would only complicate things, and this It wouldn’t be worth the investment at all. that Sony would have to do, so I’m pretty convinced that PS6 will repeat the use of an AMD APU. I dare not specify the generations of both, because we are still about five years away.
2.-Sony will continue to give the option between digital format or optical drive
Some believe that Sony will abandon the physical format with PS6, but frankly I think that the Japanese company will continue to give the option to choose between it and the digital format. I am convinced of it because the world is not ready yet to limit the launch of a console as important as PS6 to the digital format, and because in five years this is not going to change drastically.
think that still there are countries where internet connections are so slow that downloading a game can take several days, and that stability and speed problems will greatly affect the user experience. Thus, for example, a console limited to digital format will not allow us to play a title that we have just bought if we suffer a drop or if our connection is not stable enough to download the game.
However, with a console that integrates an optical drive we would not have that problem, we could insert the disc, complete the installation of the game and start enjoying it. Playing without relying on an internet connection will continue to be essential on PS6, which is why I’m so sure about this point.
However, I am not clear about what approach Sony will follow, that is, I do not know if it will resort to a modular PS6 with a removable optical drive, as it plans to do with PS5, or if it will launch two models of said console, one with an optical drive and the other without. said component. Nevertheless, I lean more in favor of the first optionsince it will allow you to unify and simplify production, and reduce costs.
3.-PS6 will be backwards compatible with PS5, and with PS4
We already saw that with PS5 Sony was about to make a serious mistake in this regard, and that thanks to pressure from Microsoft with Xbox Series X and Series S, which offer excellent backward compatibility with previous generations, in the end the Japanese firm He had no choice but to back down.
Backward compatibility is very important because facilitates the generational transition stageand it also encourages consumers who have a large catalog of games from the previous console to make the leap to the new one, since they know that they will be able to continue using those games and that they will have some kind of technical improvement, be it a increased resolution, shorter loading times or greater fluidity.
In the case of PS6, offering backwards compatibility with PS5 would be essential for the console to have a good receptionand also to facilitate this transition stage as we have said, and I dare to add that Sony should also maintain backward compatibility with PS4 to round off its proposal that it will offer the user with its next-generation console.
I would dare to ensure backward compatibility with PS5, although with PS4 I have my doubts. Note that in this sense it will also influence what Microsoft does with its next-generation console, that is, with the successor to Xbox Series X and Series S.
4.-A better resolved aesthetic and a more discreet size
The design of PS5 and its enormous size were widely criticized and they generated a strong controversy that gave rise to many jokes and even “memes” in which the Sony console was the object of public ridicule. On a personal note, I must say that the design did not seem like a problem to me, although it is true that the console was too big.
It is very likely that Sony have internalized those criticisms, and that it has taken note to shape a PS6 with a more careful design and with a more compact line. We cannot anticipate anything specific, but the final design of this new console should start from a series of specific keys that allow us to give it a few small brushstrokes:
- Smaller than PS5.
- A more stylized line.
- minimalist design.
As with the current model, PS6 should can be used both horizontally and verticallysomething that is more important than it seems since in the end this allows it to be better adapted to the needs and space of the user.
5.-Its price should be similar to that of PS5 at the time of its launch
Price is one of the factors that most influences the success or failure of a console. I know it, you know it and Sony knows it too. Seeing the trend that the Japanese company has been maintaining with its latest generations of consoles, I think that the price of PS6 will end up being similar to that of PS5, although I am convinced that it will not be the same.
By this I mean that most likely, the price of PS6 will end up being slightly higher than that of PS5 at the time of its launch, although obviously it will also depend on whether Sony ultimately releases two models, one with an optical drive and one without an optical drive, or if it chooses to launch a single model with a removable optical drive.
In the first case, I am inclined to think that the price of PS6 would be 600 euros with an optical drive and 500 euros without an optical drive, while in the second case I think that this single model should be in the range of 500 euros. Keep in mind that this is a personal estimate that I have made based on logic and the price history of the latest Sony consoles.
We must also introduce an important detail when we talk about this topic, and that is that the price of Microsoft’s next-gen console will also affect the price of PS6either for better (a reduction) or for worse (a rise).
Cover image: Sony PlayStations.
