PlayStation 6 - Everything We Know About Sony's Next-Generation Console

As the PlayStation 5 nears its fifth anniversary this November, Sony’s focus on continuing the success of its current console remains a top priority. Although the PlayStation 6 (PS6) has yet to be formally announced, there have been several developments in recent months that give us a rare glimpse into the possible direction the next-generation console might take.

In this post, we’re gathering everything we know about the PS6, the potential for a new Sony handheld, and what the future of console gaming might look like. Stay tuned as we continue to update this post with new information as we approach a potential release date in the coming years.

Table of Contents

1. PS6 Release Date and Potential Price
2. PS6 Potential Specs
3. PS6: The Role of AI
4. A PlayStation Handheld with the PS6?

PS6 Release Date and Potential Price

While Sony has yet to officially announce the PlayStation 6, we don’t have a confirmed release window. Based on Sony’s historical console release cadence, a PS6 launch could be expected in 2027, seven years after the PS5 (which itself followed the PS3 by seven years). However, the gaming landscape has changed considerably since then, especially with the PS4’s extended support during this current generation of consoles.

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently suggested that "2028 feels right" when discussing the PS6, though it's worth noting that he left Sony at the end of 2024.

Despite the lack of a clear release date, Sony’s current President and CEO, Hideaki Nishino, emphasized during a business segment meeting in 2024 that “the future of the PlayStation platform is top of mind” and that Sony is committed to exploring new and enhanced ways for players to engage with their content and services.

As for pricing, it's still uncertain. The recently released PS5 Pro, priced at $700, offers the most powerful console-gaming experience available. This is a $200 premium over the launch price of the PS5. Whether the PS6 will match the PS5 Pro's pricing or fall somewhere in between will depend on various factors, including the ongoing trade war and inflation.

PS6 Potential Specs

Sony has maintained a commitment to hardware in the face of increasing cloud-gaming options. Despite the rise of cloud-based services, Sony’s stance remains clear: "The majority of players continue to want to play and experience gaming through local execution, without dependency on network conditions," said Nishino. "PS5 and PS5 Pro have validated this thesis."

While specific specs for the PS6 remain unclear, we do know that AMD will continue to provide the hardware for the next-generation console, much like it did for both the PS4 and PS5. This continued partnership is promising for potential backward compatibility.

PS6: The Role of AI

Sony’s collaboration with AMD goes beyond hardware, particularly with the announcement of Project Amethyst. Mark Cerny, lead architect for PlayStation, revealed that Sony and AMD are working together on the future of graphical enhancements and the hardware that powers it.

The first signs of this partnership have already surfaced with the PS5 Pro’s exclusive upscaler, PSSR, which uses AMD’s RDNA 4 AI-powered upscaling features from the RX 9070 series graphics cards. Cerny explained that the updated version of PSSR, launching in 2026, will be a drop-in replacement for the current system and will shape future hardware implementations.

AMD is expected to release new graphics cards in 2026, which will support a new version of RDNA. However, Cerny cautioned that Sony isn’t tied to the same timelines as AMD’s releases. “What I’m trying to do is prepare for the next generation of consoles, so my timeframe is multi-year,” Cerny stated.

This shift shows that future consoles may not solely rely on hardware specs. PSSR is currently exclusive to the PS5 Pro due to its AI-powered upscaling, and it’s likely that the same will apply to the PS6. The ways in which AMD’s upscaling technology will be implemented across both PlayStation and Xbox could serve as a significant differentiator for each platform in the next generation.

Jack Huynh, AMD's SVP and GM of Computing & Graphics, mentioned that AMD and Sony are "developing high-quality neural networks that push the boundaries of real-time game graphics." This suggests that the PS6 will be a significant leap forward in visual rendering, addressing some of the shortcomings seen in the PS5.

A PlayStation Handheld With the PS6?

According to a Bloomberg report from 2024, Sony is reportedly in the planning stages for a new handheld console—the company’s first since the PS Vita. This new handheld is rumored to be designed to play PS5 games natively, though it may still be years away from announcement if Sony moves forward with its development.

In 2023, Sony launched the PS Portal, a device that initially acted as a way to play PS5 games remotely over a local network. It has since been updated to allow for cloud gaming, expanding its capabilities beyond just console streaming.

Interestingly, the PS Portal was initially conceived as a new handheld platform, but plans shifted as the release approached. Given its popularity, alongside the success of handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, and Asus ROG Ally, Sony may be looking to make another push into the handheld market. Microsoft is also reportedly exploring the same idea, in partnership with Asus for now.

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