We’ve been talking a lot lately about the PS5 Pro, the intergenerational refresh of the PS5, but without a doubt the most exciting project Sony has on its hands is the PS6, the console that could become the most powerful of the new generation, and according to a new rumor, it will once again use AMD hardware. This suggests that we will once again see a system configured with an APU, i.e. CPU and GPU integrated on the same silicon chip.

The rumors revolving around this topic do not give many details on a technical level about what we can expect from the PS6, they only refer to some points related to ray tracing and name some advances that it could bring. GPU level thanks to its new architecture, which would theoretically be RDNA 6.

PS6 is expected to launch in 2028, so it makes sense to think about RDNA 6 as RDNA 4 should be released in the same year and RDNA 5 should arrive sometime in 2026. But it is important to note that very likely , that Sony has access to semi-custom GPUs and that this have more advanced exclusive features which may not be present in RDNA 6 solutions for PC.

PS6 and dedicated hardware: essential to be the most powerful console of its generation

It is very clear to me that the next generation of consoles will make a very important commitment not only to improve raw performance, but also to use of specialized hardwareand by that I mean mainly two key elements: cores to accelerate ray tracing and cores dedicated to accelerating artificial intelligence and deep learning.

We could all see it on the way to ray tracing (and path tracing) AI has become the foundation to face the huge graphical load it entails. PS6 could become the most powerful console today, but if it does not have specialized hardware at these two levels, it will be “dead in life”

It’s very easy to understand, think about the role that NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Frame Generation play and how both improve fluidity to such an extent that They can make a game that moves at 2 FPS to run at over 80 FPS. Without AI, there can’t be ray tracing right now without the penalty being so enormous that in most cases it will make the gaming experience disastrous.

If Sony again bets on AMD, which would be normal, to offer full backward compatibility with PS5 and older in a simple way, it is very likely that the new PS6 GPU will be configured with 5th generation ray tracing accelerator cores and 4th generation AI acceleration cores. Right now RDNA 3 is using second generation ray tracing acceleration cores and first generation AI cores, so the math adds up.

Possible PS6 specs: a well-founded guess

It’s still very early days, I’m aware of that, and it’s clear that many things can still happen that will ultimately completely or partially change Sony’s idea of ​​the PS6 design. However, based on all the information I’ve seen in the last few months, and following the logical evolution that consoles have experienced in their last three generations, I can prepare an estimate of possible PS6 specs.

• APU made on TSMC’s 3nm node.
• A processor based on the Zen 6 or Zen 7 architecture, although I’m more inclined to prefer the Zen 6 due to development time and release dates.
• The CPU should repeat the 8 cores and 16 threads configuration, but with higher IPC and higher frequencies. I wouldn’t rule out a 12 core, 24 thread configuration.
• AMD Radeon GPU based on RDNA 6 architecture with significant improvements in rasterization, efficiency, ray tracing and artificial intelligence.
• The PS6 GPU may not have a big increase in shaders. Remember that the PS4 Pro has the same number of shaders as the PS5, yet the latter is much more powerful. Ultimately, what matters is the architecture, the specialized hardware, and the general advancements it brings.
• Unified memory architecture with 32 GB GDDR7.
• High-performance SSD drive with higher bandwidth. The base capacity can be increased from 1 TB to 2 TB as a base.

With a configuration of this type, the PS6 could have a chance to become the most powerful console of its generation, of course it would all depend on what Microsoft and Nintendo did. But remember what I told you earlier, brute force will continue to be essential, but the role of specialized hardware and artificial intelligence applied to games will become increasingly important and It will make a bigger and bigger difference.

I’m pretty confident the PS6 will have it Intelligent upscaling and image generation technology, and that both will make ray tracing a reality on said console. Obviously, it will still have all the classic limitations associated with using an APU, but it will be a more balanced and better designed console than the PS5, as compared to the PS4 at the time.

When could the PS6 arrive and how much will it cost?

Even though the rumors don’t quite add up, I think I’m thinking about it 2028 It’s the most sensible thing to do, although it’s likely to be introduced a bit earlier, perhaps in late 2027, to start generating excitement and rack up a good amount of pre-sales. If confirmed, the PS5 would complete an 8-year cycle and will likely have one to two more years of life after the arrival of the PS6.

As for price, that’s a real unknown, but I have a hunch that the PS6 will have a more expensive launch price than the PS5, and that it’s likely to end up on the ladder. between 600 and 650 euros, approximately. The PS5 has already seen a launch price increase compared to the PS4, so it makes all the sense in the world to think that the same will eventually happen with the PS6.

PS6 Concept Images: Yanko Design.