Sony may have only just unveiled the PS5 Pro, but that doesn’t mean the company isn’t also hard at work on its next-gen hardware. Indeed, just days after the announcement of the PlayStation 5 Pro, a new report has emerged about the PS6. According to the new report, the PS5 is roughly halfway through its lifecycle, which means the PS6 is still on track for the previously rumoured 2028 release date. While the release date is still very much up in the air, one thing we do have a better idea about are the specifications, specifically who will be supplying the chips.
According to Reuters, Sony was in talks with AMD and Intel over which company would produce the chips for the PS6.
It’s believed Sony and Intel couldn’t quite settle on pricing and profit sharing, although an Intel spokesperson has seemingly denied the claims.
“We strongly disagree with this characterisation but are not going to comment about any current or potential customer conversations,” an Intel spokesperson told Reuters.
“We have a very healthy customer pipeline across both our product and foundry business, and we are squarely focused on innovating to meet their needs.”
However, the main reason why the deal may have fallen through is due to Sony’s desire for the PS6 to be backwards compatible.
With AMD making the chips for the PS4 and PS5, moving to another chip manufacturer would have made it difficult for the PS6 to support backwards compatibility.
As for the PS5 Pro, the console will launch on November 7 at a cost of £699. Pre-orders will go live on September 26.
The console will improve on the original PS5 in three main ways, featuring a bigger GPU, Advanced Ray-Tracing and AI-driven upscaling.
The GPU will provide rendering that’s up to 45% faster thanks to 67% more Compute Units and 28% faster memory.
Advanced Ray Tracing will provide “more dynamic reflection and refraction of light”, which allows rays to be cast at double and sometimes even triple the speeds of the current PS5.
Then there’s the AI Driven Upscaling, which is said to use “machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail”.
Elsewhere, PS5 Pro Game Boost will give older PS4 and PS5 games an upgrade in the visual and performance department.