[Bullet Club]

PS6 in Development With Focus on Backwards Compatibility – Report

The PS6 is in development with an emphasis on backwards compatibility, according to a fresh report by Reuters. We certainly weren't expecting to see an unofficial announcement this morning, complete with details of a chip manufacturing bidding war for the console that took place between Intel and AMD.

Intel reportedly lost PS6 chip contract to AMD because of backwards compatibility

According to Reuters, back in 2022, Intel lost a major PS6 chip manufacturing contract to AMD for a number of reasons, one of which is backwards compatibility. Sony's executives and engineers discussed the risk of having backwards compatibility issues if it dropped AMD in favor of Intel, and it didn't help that both companies reportedly bumped heads over how much profit Intel would make from each PS6 chip that it sold.

As a result, Sony and Intel couldn't settle on a price, leaving the door open for AMD to stay as PS6's choice of chip manufacturer following its success with the PS5. Reuters says that the loss of contract dealt a huge blow to Intel, and sought a comment from the company, which provided the statement below:

We strongly disagree with this characterization but are not going to comment about any current or potential customer conversations. 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.

Reuters says that AMD and Sony did not respond to its request for comment.

Source: Playstation Lifestyle

 

[O-N-E]

Probably because they need games on the system that people actually want to play and they don't have enough money/studios for all the 8K remaster-makes they have in mind.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Ps4ProProProPro confirmed.

 

[WesternBlood]

Wow, so close to the PS5 Pro release. I wonder why?

Sony knows the PS5 gen is long in the tooth, and they don't even have the library their past iterations of long running Playstation generations (PS3 says hello) offer.

 

[TaySan]

BC is going to be a must next generation with how long it takes to release games

 

[Chozofication]

Yeah this is another reason I don't want a ps5 pro… I can just play the highest graphics modes at an even better fps if I just wait for ps6. If I even care, because Sony needs to fix their studios first and foremost.

 

[Hostile_18]

I mean that has been the case with regards to AMD for many, many years. They work on margins much thinner than Intel and Nvidia, hence why they are rarely seen in the console space.

Backwards compatibility is no doubt a key pillar, it's hard to break away from an ecosystem once you are in it (I stepped away from PlayStation after 8 years). It's sensationalist to stir up negative sentiment, but backwards compatibility is as key as new exciting games IMO in terms of establishing a new platform. Any company would be foolish to ignore it.

 

[cryptoadam]

899.99$

If PS5Pro is selling for 699 next to it there is no way it's cheaper.
And I guess we can finally play games at 4k60 like they promised at the beggining of this gen.

and I am a sucker so I better start selling my unvaxxed semen to afford it.

 

[Optimus]

BC is going to be a must next generation with how long it takes to release games

If they start development of the games now, they can drop demos on PS6 ahead of their PS7 releases!

 

[Stilton Disco]

899.99$

If PS5Pro is selling for 699 next to it there is no way it's cheaper.
And I guess we can finally play games at 4k60 like they promised at the beggining of this gen.

and I am a sucker so I better start selling my unvaxxed semen to afford it.

They'll probably discontinue the PS5Pro almost immediately after the PS6 is released, same as they did the PS4Pro less than 2 months after the PS5 launched.

 

[Hostile_18]

They'll probably discontinue the PS5Pro almost immediately after the PS6 is released, same as they did the PS4Pro less than 2 months after the PS5 launched.

Makes perfect business sense. If you own a PS4 Pro because its more powerful, you'll almost certainly want or own the next console. If you still want a PS4 when the PS5 is out its likely cost is the key factor.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Physical PS1-5 compatibility would be a Day One sale for me, especially if older games can be improved with better frame rate, resolution, and performance.

Probably won't happen though, knowing Sony.

 

[infinitys_7th]

Aren't the home consoles basically just PCs at this point?

Why shouldn't PS6 have BC with the PS4 and PS5?

 

[HeresJohnny]

Not interested.

 

[Mickmrly]

I'll be looking forward to the PS6 release of Goodbye Volcano High remastered and The Last of Us 4K edition.

 

[HeresJohnny]

Physical PS1-5 compatibility would be a Day One sale for me, especially if older games can be improved with better frame rate, resolution, and performance.

Probably won't happen though, knowing Sony.

I think Sony is jumping off the physical train; they realize they can get you to buy games 3 or 4 times across as many generations and it's hard to argue that it won't make them more profitable.

 

[IrishWhiskey]

I think every console generation multiple manufactures try to win the console contracts with Sony/MS/Nintendo. Intel, Nvidia and I suppose recently maybe even the ARM bros.

The thing is AMD are really good at SoC/APU and very good (mostly) with low power/efficiency. Given these things plus the strong relationship they have with Sony I don't think these were anything other than token conversations used to apply pricing pressure on AMD to get cheaper contracts for PS6.

Backwards compatibility is definitely an important reason here, probably also a big factor with Nintendo sticking with Nvidia for Switch 2.

The thing is PS6 is at the earliest 2026 and will likely use RDNA5 (UDNA now?) or some custom variant of it that takes bits and pieces from the future roadmap etc.. probably Zen 6 as well on the CPU end.

Assuming we actually get another Xbox console (and we do have to realistically ask ourselves that question), they would be a bigger risk of moving away from AMD, at least on the CPU side as MS seems to be obsessed with ARM at the moment. They could go ARM CPU and RDNA5 (UDNA??) for GPU side of things. Although they could just as easily go Zen 5/6 so we will see what happens (if it does happen at all at this point)

 

[VFX_Veteran]

PS6 in Development With Focus on Backwards Compatibility – Report

The PS6 is in development with an emphasis on backwards compatibility, according to a fresh report by Reuters. We certainly weren't expecting to see an unofficial announcement this morning, complete with details of a chip manufacturing bidding war for the console that took place between Intel and AMD.

Intel reportedly lost PS6 chip contract to AMD because of backwards compatibility

According to Reuters, back in 2022, Intel lost a major PS6 chip manufacturing contract to AMD for a number of reasons, one of which is backwards compatibility. Sony's executives and engineers discussed the risk of having backwards compatibility issues if it dropped AMD in favor of Intel, and it didn't help that both companies reportedly bumped heads over how much profit Intel would make from each PS6 chip that it sold.

As a result, Sony and Intel couldn't settle on a price, leaving the door open for AMD to stay as PS6's choice of chip manufacturer following its success with the PS5. Reuters says that the loss of contract dealt a huge blow to Intel, and sought a comment from the company, which provided the statement below:



Reuters says that AMD and Sony did not respond to its request for comment.

Source: Playstation Lifestyle

This is proof that the hardware design is already chosen from THIS generation for the NEXT generation.

Many gamers assume that the PS6 hardware will be taken from tech produced in 2027(8) when the new Nvidia boards come out -- that's far from the truth. Design is going to be based around 3x00/4x00 technology and I predict very high prices going forward (~$900/1k) for high end and possibly a cost effective version low-mid range performance box for people on a budget.

 

[VFX_Veteran]

Aren't the home consoles basically just PCs at this point?

Why shouldn't PS6 have BC with the PS4 and PS5?

It depends on how different the hardware is. Some studios may program in an API that requires more low-level access which would make it pretty difficult to take advantage of new features but I agree with you on the backward compatibility with the PS4/PS5. I just think that the majority of studios will continue using the latest version of UE which should be BC. The exclusive 1st party studios will be designing their graphics engines around the PC anyway since they are fully on board with supporting it so PS4/5 modes will be easy and cost very little.

 

[zero]

Backwards compatibility for the handful of decent PS 5 games?

 

[McHuj]

This is proof that the hardware design is already chosen from THIS generation for the NEXT generation.

Many gamers assume that the PS6 hardware will be taken from tech produced in 2027(8) when the new Nvidia boards come out -- that's far from the truth. Design is going to be based around 3x00/4x00 technology and I predict very high prices going forward (~$900/1k) for high end and possibly a cost effective version low-mid range performance box for people on a budget.

This schedule is in line with with using a RDNA5+ and Zen6 for next gen. Both those technologies are already very far in the development cycles so it would likely put the PS6 as using a refinement of those in 2028. It takes a good 4-6 years to bring a new silicon architecture to market. Assuming a 2028 release, we should probably start getting leaks around 2026 when a first iteration of the SOC would likely tapeout.

 

[Pagusas]

Wow, so close to the PS5 Pro release. I wonder why?

Sony knows the PS5 gen is long in the tooth, and they don't even have the library their past iterations of long running Playstation generations (PS3 says hello) offer.

Console development takes a loonnnggg time. PS6 was being thought about and sketched out before ps5 even launched, just like every gen before. Chip designs, contracts, timelines and lots of rounds of dev inputs have to go into the pre-design phase which can take years. The the actual design phase, qa, all the rework, manufacturing time. It all takes so much time.

 

[Stilton Disco]

It's worth bearing in mind a few things here.

Firstly, this won't mean the PS6 is coming out any time soon. If they only agreed the contract in 2022, then they likely are in very early days still in regards to what hardware AMD will be providing. It's also completely standard practice for a console manufacturer to start working on it's next bit of hardware once the design for the previous one is finalised, so the fact they hadn't started until 2022 is actually a bit later than you would typically expect in most consoles generations. The PS5Pro seems to have pushed back work on the PS6, if anything.

Secondly, while Xbox uses more standard 'off the shelf' parts from AMD, both the PS4 and PS5 involved Sony making significant alterations and integrating their own innovations into the hardware AMD provided them, so it makes sense that they'd have more issues to consider when looking at backwards compatibility, as there will be potential hardware and software conflicts arising from changing their partner.

Finally AMD really need Playstation as a partner. For two generations Playstation has been feeding back their modifications for AMD to reverse engineer as they want, and this seems to have heavily assisted FSR and is reportedly going to form the basis for further improvements to FSR going forward, as well as Ray Tracing and AI implementation that is likely all that's going to keep AMD somewhat competitive with Nvidia going forward, so they're likely bending over backwards to keep the Playstation contract.

While I hope backwards compatibility can be extended to at least the PS3, I suspect the PS6 will only work with the PS4 and PS5. As others have said, they're trying to move away from physical and the incompatibility with their current store and the records of games bought on the PS3 will continue to prevent people's digital purchases from carrying over.

At best, they'll rerelease PS3 games under a 'classics' banner, with likely 90%+ of the PS3's digital library lost forever once the store goes down.

 

[regawdless]

I think every console generation multiple manufactures try to win the console contracts with Sony/MS/Nintendo. Intel, Nvidia and I suppose recently maybe even the ARM bros.

The thing is AMD are really good at SoC/APU and very good (mostly) with low power/efficiency. Given these things plus the strong relationship they have with Sony I don't think these were anything other than token conversations used to apply pricing pressure on AMD to get cheaper contracts for PS6.

Backwards compatibility is definitely an important reason here, probably also a big factor with Nintendo sticking with Nvidia for Switch 2.

The thing is PS6 is at the earliest 2026 and will likely use RDNA5 (UDNA now?) or some custom variant of it that takes bits and pieces from the future roadmap etc.. probably Zen 6 as well on the CPU end.

Assuming we actually get another Xbox console (and we do have to realistically ask ourselves that question), they would be a bigger risk of moving away from AMD, at least on the CPU side as MS seems to be obsessed with ARM at the moment. They could go ARM CPU and RDNA5 (UDNA??) for GPU side of things. Although they could just as easily go Zen 5/6 so we will see what happens (if it does happen at all at this point)

PS6 won't come in 2026. End of 2027 the earliest, more likely in 2028.

That time is needed for tech to advance to the point of Sony being able to offer a significant upgrade over the PS5 for a price of under 900 bucks.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Im really hoping for a huge 30th anniversary blow out. I hope they have something magical lined up.

Astro bot is a great celebration of the 30th Anniversary. Give me more.

 

[Stilton Disco]

PS6 won't come in 2026. End of 2027 the earliest, more likely in 2028.

That time is needed for tech to advance to the point of Sony being able to offer a significant upgrade over the PS5 for a price of under 900 bucks.

I'm honestly think anywhere up to 2030 would make sense.

The longer they can string this generation out, the (hopefully) cheaper they can price the PS6 at, which will be far more important for the general market base console than for the niche Pro midgen refresh.

 

[WesternBlood]

Console development takes a loonnnggg time. PS6 was being thought about and sketched out before ps5 even launched, just like every gen before. Chip designs, contracts, timelines and lots of rounds of dev inputs have to go into the pre-design phase which can take years. The the actual design phase, qa, all the rework, manufacturing time. It all takes so much time.

Yes, I know I have been playing consoles since the Odyssey, I understand development cycles with hardware. My dig is why the PS 5 Pro and PS 6 news coming out in the same month. Usually they let it marinate a bit before announcing new hardware. We already can assume Sony is working on a new console, like automotive manufacturing, they are designing concepts years ahead of what will release, but you would have thought, there are people who are just going to wait for the PS6 instead of jumping on the PS5 Pro, as we have seen vocalized in this thread.

 

[VFX_Veteran]

Yes, I know I have been playing consoles since the Odyssey, I understand development cycles with hardware. My dig is why the PS 5 Pro and PS 6 news coming out in the same month. Usually they let it marinate a bit before announcing new hardware. We already can assume Sony is working on a new console, like automotive manufacturing, they are designing concepts years ahead of what will release, but you would have thought, there are people who are just going to wait for the PS6 instead of jumping on the PS5 Pro, as we have seen vocalized in this thread.

I think the point here is to convey the PS6 is being designed right "now" with today's tech -- not 5 years from now tech. I would be very surprised if the PS6 is equivalent to a 4090's power for example (especially in RT). AMD can't even put out a GPU that equals the 4090 now, let alone have it be cost effective.

 

[WesternBlood]

I think the point here is to convey the PS6 is being designed right "now" with today's tech -- not 5 years from now tech. I would be very surprised if the PS6 is equivalent to a 4090's power for example (especially in RT). AMD can't even put out a GPU that equals the 4090 now, let alone have it be cost effective.

The PS5 Pro that was announced will have right "now" tech that will be obsolete shorty when it hits market. Sony's messaging is eye-brow raising and are putting the cart before the horse on a supposed powerful machine, certainly the most powerful PS5 machine, that offers limited value for the price point they are lauding.

That is the point I was making, at least let the PS5 Pro actually hit the market and installed in homes before pulling the rug out on consumers who will just wait. If I were a shareholder, I would be a bit peeved as the announcement undercuts the maximum profits Sony would expect by putting the focus on PS5 Pro.

 

[Pagusas]

Yes, I know I have been playing consoles since the Odyssey, I understand development cycles with hardware. My dig is why the PS 5 Pro and PS 6 news coming out in the same month. Usually they let it marinate a bit before announcing new hardware. We already can assume Sony is working on a new console, like automotive manufacturing, they are designing concepts years ahead of what will release, but you would have thought, there are people who are just going to wait for the PS6 instead of jumping on the PS5 Pro, as we have seen vocalized in this thread.

I think this was more a news leak then Sony intentionally putting Info out.

 

[Frito_Pendejo]

It's $900 and the power cord, controller and disc drive come separate

 

[Pagusas]

It's $900 and the power cord, controller and disc drive come separate

Sold! No power cord = that priceless smug feeling of saving the planet

 

[Pyrate]

I love how Intel is catching fire left right and center.

 

[XOR]

I'm honestly think anywhere up to 2030 would make sense.

The longer they can string this generation out, the (hopefully) cheaper they can price the PS6 at, which will be far more important for the general market base console than for the niche Pro midgen refresh.

I dont know if that will be possible, last I heard cost per transistor is not going down now. What allowed past gen upgrades was the cost per transistor coming down a lot allowing for significantly more transistors. I think this is part of the reason Nvidia is increasing power consumption in the next cards, to limit the transistor increase while still providing a meaningful jump. But increasing power consumption is a dead end, and can only be done so many times before it becomes prohibitive.

 

[Gold Loot]

While yes, the PS6 is in its design phase that doesn't mean the hardware is set in stone. Anyone would knowledge knows that R&D will be working to cram as much as they can within a reasonable size and power output.

So while they may have a general idea of a layout, things such as CPU speeds, GPU settings , RAM ect. Will not be final until a good year or two from now.

 

[Stilton Disco]

I dont know if that will be possible, last I heard cost per transistor is not going down now. What allowed past gen upgrades was the cost per transistor coming down a lot allowing for significantly more transistors. I think this is part of the reason Nvidia is increasing power consumption in the next cards, to limit the transistor increase while still providing a meaningful jump. But increasing power consumption is a dead end, and can only be done so many times before it becomes prohibitive.

You're probably right quite honestly.

I've been saying myself for a while that PC hardware is butting up the limits of physics now in regards to squeezing more performance into a smaller space, and the increasingly disappointing generational improvements in both CPU's and GPU's, while sizes, heat production, costs and power demands get exponentially larger.

However low power efficiency does seem to be increasing still, likely due to the focus fabrication has on mobile tech. I wouldn't be surprised to see Playstation try to copy some of the Switch and Steam Deck success with the rumoured PS4Portable to tide us over in the meantime, while they hope what little gains can still be made allow for a PS6 that is both a noticeable improvement without being an expensive, power hungry beast of a system.

 

[Vyse]

Do you think they will release good games too?

 

[BlackDow]

Sony shitting themselves because switch 2 is coming

 

[Eneru]

People caring about backward compatibility while every game released since ps3 has a remake or remaster. I'd rather have them focus on new games, ips and experiences haha

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I'd be interested if it would be a freak machine like the PS2 and PS3 was.
And Sony got back to creating games without fat butch dykes preaching DEI crap all over them.

Damn, Sony's downfall hurts me the most, really.


But then, I think graphics are good enough as they are right now.
I could go on forever with current gen hardware.

I don't expect any new computer hardware in the next 30 years to wow me, graphically.

That ship has sailed since late last gen.