Everything we know about Sony’s next gen PlayStation Console!

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In the past few months, some news have been spreading about the launch of new PS5 models. The PS5 had a tough start in the market, after all, it launched amidst the pandemic which was followed by multiple constraints in the supply chain. Thanks to this crisis in the industry, it was a hard task for players to buy one unit. After all, the stocks sold out as soon as they became available. The situation improved in the past few months as the console completed two years of availability. Now, it seems that Sony is preparing the terrain for new upgrades that may come in the form of PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro. However, there is more beyond it, recent leaks have also revealed some details of the PS6 development. Through this article, we will list everything we know about the next-gen PlayStation console, be it the PS5 Pro or the PS6.

The rumors behind the PS5 Pro

Since the last year, there have been some rumors pointing to the launch of the PS5 Pro. Most of them cycle around the fact that Sony is preparing to launch a new revised model with a modular disc driver. The launch of this model has been corroborated by insiders like Tom Henderson. However, there is no clear indication that this is the PS5 Pro. The need for a Pro model emerged because the PS5, with its current hardware, can’t handle things like 4K resolution, Ray-Tracing, and 60fps all at the same time. Moreover, with the PS4, Sony launched a Pro model with upgraded months just two years after its availability.

The PS5 completed two years in November last year. Therefore, multiple rumors are pointing to the launch of a PS5 Pro and the PS5 Slim at the same time. That happened with the PS4, but we don’t know if that will be the case for the PS5. Some news suggests that Sony has left the idea of a PS5 with improved hardware to focus on the next generation, the PS6.

The PS5 Slim

When it comes to a possible PS5 Slim, the launch of a smaller model seems to be more plausible. Well, the PS5 is a behemoth that easily occupies any place you put it. The Slim model is a tradition since the days of the PSX. If there is a model that most need a Slim model, it’s the PS5. We know it’s eventually coming, and the more recent leaks, state that the so-called modular PS5 will launch as the PS5 Slim. This model will have a removable disc driver. So it will be easy for Sony to sell it in both Digital and Disc Driver versions. This model is set to replace the existing PS5, but the modular disc driver will not offer any compatibility with the existing digital models. Last but not least, the PS5 Slim will not bring significant changes in performance. It will be like a regular PS5 with the same horsepower, but a slimmer design, and modular disc driver.

The next-gen PlayStation console

According to insiders, it seems that the PS6 will not arrive before 2027. There is a significant gap between the PS5 and the PS6, and the so-called PS5 Slim could fit this gap. The launch of a modular console will improve things for Sony in terms of keeping the stocks. In the meantime, the company can switch its focus to developing the PS6 with more horsepower. We’re still in 2023, and there is plenty of time to focus on new hardware. Right now, it’s hard to determine the hardware of an upgrade. But we can easily assume it will be far beyond the performance offered by the PS5.

The PS5 was launched as a console capable of handling 8K resolution, 120fps, and so on. After two years, we learned that while possible, developers need to make choices to deliver these options. For example, it’s not possible to offer 4K with ray-tracing at 60fps all the time. To do so, the developer needs to be really talented or very aware of the PS5 architecture. We saw studios like Sony’s Santa Monica and Insomniac offering ray-tracing, resolution, and frame-rating options. But when it comes to the largest majority of games, you will still need to choose between resolution and performance modes.

With the next-gen console, Sony will likely fix this by offering horsepower to handle everything. Ray-Tracing is still a new effect, and even the most advanced GPUs have a hard time with it. It gained popularity thanks to NVIDIA’s DLSS technology, but the effect is heavier for GPUs without this technology.

The development of the next PlayStation began

Right now, it’s impossible to deny the beginning of the PlayStation 6 development. Recently, we saw Mark Cerny registering a patent that achieves to improve the performance of ray tracing. To those unaware, Cerny has been the engineer behind the PS4 and PS5, and so he will be behind the next PlayStation console. The patent prepares the terrain for something set to come in the future. In this case, we assume it is preparing the ground for the PS6.

The patent describes a system that makes use of shadow processors that reduce the size of rays, improving the overall performance of ray tracing. Real-time ray tracing is an important feature in the PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as the recent GPUs. It delivers realistic light and reflex effects. As we’ve told about, this is a heavy effect, and doing it in real-time needs powerful hardware. Besides horsepower, optimization is also important. Cerny is doing some progress to make things better on the next PlayStation console.

Possible hardware and features of the next PlayStation

All-new AMD and GPU

Besides the new technical improvements, we also expect other huge advancements in performance. The PS6 will likely keep Sony’s partnership with AMD for the CPU and GPU. Rumors about the PS5 Pro have been pointing to the use of the new RDNA3 architecture. For the PS6, we expect it to go even beyond. In a few years, we are sure that AMD will have more advanced offerings, and the next PlayStation console will likely bring the most cutting-edge hardware offered by its Taiwanese partner.

Cloud-Gaming-ready

It’s no secret that Cloud Gaming is already a thing for the video game industry. While Microsoft tries to push this forward, we can say that PlayStation still has a more conservative view. Of course, things tend to change in the next years. Cloud gaming is an inevitable change for the market, be it for the good or the bad, Sony will need to adapt. The company changed its view on services with the launch of the new PS Plus model with multiple games in the catalog. Therefore, it may also change its view about cloud gaming in the future.

Right now, Sony has some sort of Cloud Gaming available when it comes to the PS3 titles on the PS Plus. It was formerly available as PS Now but was absorbed by the new PS Plus Premium tier. Unfortunately, the streaming is very limited to just a few markets. We expect Sony to improve its servers to offer streaming options to more countries with the PS6. With the rise of Microsoft, acquiring a lot of IPs, and building a massive streaming platform, Sony will need to adapt to remain in this market.

Digital-Only? Nah, Modular Design!

Well with the rise of digital media, there have been talks about the end of physical disks. There are some advantages to digital media, since you only need to download it and it can’t be damaged. However, some players will always prefer physical discs. Be it for the nostalgic effect, or for the other advantages that still surround physical discs, this shouldn’t die.

It’s up to manufacturers to go the PC route and embrace a world with only digital media. But for its loyal user base, Sony probably will keep things in modular way. The PS5 with modular disc driver is coming soon and will allow Sony to test this concept. For the next PlayStation, we expect the company to keep up this route. It will sell one digital model at a cheaper price tag, and one with a disc drive for a little more.

When will the next-gen PlayStation console be launched?

The leak of certain internal documents may bring a clue about the release of the PS6. Due to the ongoing investigation led by the UK Competition Market to evaluate Microsoft’s takeover of Activision, Sony had to make some of its documents public. The Japanese firm tries to break the deal, alleging that it can hurt the competition. So it had to offer some documents and proof to confirm these allegations.

As per the documents, Sony claims that MS will keep bringing Activision games to the PlayStation platform until 2027. The notable part is that the document reads “By the time SIE launched the next generation of its PlayStation console (which is likely to occur around [blacked out]). It would have lost access to Call of Duty and other Activision titles. Therefore, it will be extremely vulnerable to consumer switching and subsequent degradation in its competitiveness”.

A seven-year lifespan for the PS4 and… for the PS5

The launch year of the next-gen PlayStation console is blacked out for obvious reasons. However, considering it’s easy to deduce that the launch will happen after 2027. That, of course, doesn’t mean the end of the PS5 series. After all, the cross-gen titles will keep coming. The PS4 was launched in late 2013 and got PlayStation games until November 2022. We don’t expect future SIE games to reach the console, while third-party games are still coming. That means that Sony offered almost ten years of games for the console. The same should happen with the PS5.

The PS4 launched in late 2013 and got its sequel, the PS5, announced in 2020. That is a seven-year “lifespan”, so we can expect the same for the PS5. The current console will complete seven years in November 2027, and by that time, Sony will probably be ready to announce the next generation

The future rests in the next PlayStation Showcase

We don’t expect Sony to make much buzz about a next-gen PlayStation console at this point. But we expect it to reveal more about its “PS5 Gen2” in the coming months. That’s what Tom Henderson calls the next PS5 with a modular disc driver, a “Gen 2” console that will replace the existing PS5.

The rumors are starting to intensify, and more recently, we got news about a PlayStation Showcase happening in June this year. It will happen ahead of the Summer Game Fest, set for June 8. According to Jeff Grubb, this event will allow Sony to reveal more about the “next phase of the PS5”. This declaration is vague and could mean a lot of things. We expect news about upcoming Playstation games, but at the same time, we expect the rumors about a new PS5 to finally make sense. Will it be a PS5 Pro, a PS5 Slim, or PS6 (less probable), we will know pretty soon!