3 weeks Ago
There's no doubt that Sony has had massive success with the current-gen PlayStation 5 (PS5) in terms of sales and critical reception. Despite the rocky availability when it launched in 2020, stocks have stabilised since about a year now and it's easy to walk into your local hardware store and find one or even online. One of the big reasons for its success (and prior gen PlayStation consoles) are all the exclusive games that are not available on rival Microsoft's console.
The PS5 is now pushing past the mid-life of the product cycle, with Sony urging developers to pay attention to the new PS5 Pro which launched in 2024. Sony's consoles have had varying timelines before getting the end-of-life status. The PS2 remained in production for nearly 13 years, while the PS4 enjoyed around seven years and support is being phased out this year as only a handful of 2025 titles will run on it.
This brings us to Sony's next-gen console which will most likely be called the PlayStation 6. Development is most likely well under way and going by the current state of things, we should expect an announcement during the holiday season (Nov-Dec) of 2027 or 2028. Bits of information and leaks will be trickling in as we head closer to that date, but for now, here's what we expect from the PlayStation 6 and my personal wishlist of Sony's next console.
When will PlayStation 6 launch? The PS6 is not expected to be announced for at least the next few years. I would estimate a 2027 or 2028 announcement as the earliest, considering the global supply chain is not adversely affected by trade wars and tariffs imposed by the U.S.
by then. We hope the PS6 doesn't face a shortage issue like we did with the PS5, but then again, we were in the middle of a global pandemic. Will the PS5 be relevant after the PS6 launches? Very much so.
Just like the PS4 and PS4 Pro stayed relevant for a solid four to five years after the PS5 launched, we feel the PS5 should have a similar runtime before developers stop releasing newer titles for the consoles. Once that happens, you should consider upgrading. How much will the PS6 cost? The PS6 is most certainly going to be pricey.
Considering the PS5 Pro costs $699 and is still not available everywhere, like in India, the PS6 will most likely cost as much if not more. Sony recently announced price hikes for the PS5 console in select regions like the U.K.
, Australia, and Europe, citing challenging economic conditions. While this may be temporary, it's a sign that the PS6 is going to cost closer to $1,000. For gamers in India, we should expect it in the range of Rs.
70,000 to Rs. 80,000. This is pure speculation at this point but it doesn't seem so far fetched either.
Flagship phones now start at Rs. 70,000 and above and buyers don't seem to mind it, so it's just a matter of calibrating your mindset. What new features can we expect from the PS6? It's still early to tell but after the PS5 Pro's launch, here are a few things we can expect the PS6 to have for sure.
For starters, the PlayStation 6 is going to be more powerful than the PS5 Pro. It just has to be. This means we're looking at GPU performance of more than 16 TFLOPS and a more powerful CPU.
Sony will almost certainly be using AMD hardware once again, as it even announced a multi-year partnership with AMD called Project Amethyst. The latter is a collaboration on building AI and Machine Learning (ML) for games to go beyond just graphics. These upcoming technologies will be the cornerstone of the PS6's new capabilities, and some of the tech will even trickle down to AMD's hardware for PCs.
That's the idea anyway. The PS5 Pro introduced new AI rendering techniques called PSSR or PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution for upscaling PS5 games to run at 4K. This means the native rendering for the games is still below 4K so the hardware isn't stressed too much.
It's a similar technique AMD and Nvidia have been using on PC for a while, with FSR and DLSS respectively. The boost in GPU power in the PS5 Pro also allows for ray tracing to be used in performance mode too, thereby giving you the best of fidelity and higher framerates without needing to sacrifice one over the other. What will the PS6 look like? This is a tough one as it's hard to say which direction Sony will lean into for its next-gen console.
One thing we can say for sure is that it should definitely be unique and iconic. Many gamers didn't like the design of the original PS5 initially, as it was also too large. Sony eventually refined the design and size to a more acceptable form with the 2023 refresh.
My guess is, Sony will want to create yet another memorable design while keeping functionality at the front. Making sure the console is cooled optimally no matter how a user positions at home is crucial to a good user experience. I feel Sony will have some element of customisability yet again as the removable plates on the PS5 have been a huge hit with gamers.
Plus, it allows Sony to sell more accessories. Will the PS6 have a disc drive? This is a good question and one that I feel not many will like the answer to. While I'm all for physical media, everything points to the fact that the PS6 will be a disc-less console.
The PS5 Pro was the litmus test for this experiment and while many of us scoffed at this decision, it seems to be the way forward for Sony. Now, this doesn't mean the PS6 won't support discs. I feel Sony will continue to offer the ability to purchase and use a disc drive separately.
In fact, I would love it if we could use the PS5's detachable disc drive on the PS6 but that seems unlikely. I don't think Sony will want to alienate the millions of gamers who are still holding onto their physical game discs. While the PS6 might not have a disc drive off the shelf, I think there should be an option to buy one as an accessory.
What I want to see from the PS6 • Better battery life for the controller The DualSense controller of the PS5 is brilliant, except for the battery life. On average, it delivers around 6-10 hours on one charge, which is far from ideal. Plugging in a headset and playing put a big dent to the battery life too.
I hope Sony finds a way to extend the battery life to at least 15 hours on one charge. If this means using a larger battery and making the controller a bit heavier, I think many gamers would be willing to live with this compromise. In terms of features, Sony needs to switch to Hall effect joysticks for the PS6's controller.
I think we've all suffered stick drift issues long enough and shouldn;t have to put up with that when we'll be paying a premium for the next PlayStation. • True 4K 60fps gameplay If we're talking about a next-gen gaming console due in 2028, it better be able to do 4K 60fps in all games. Even if this is done by AI/ ML upscaling, we need to have all games that are released for the PS6 to be able to achieve this resolution and framerate.
60fps is just the baseline though, as I would like to be able to hit higher framerates as well. The PS5 Pro was supposed to deliver this but it still doesn't quite manage proper 4K 60fps in many games. • A better launch line up of next-gen games This is hard to do but something Sony can very much deliver at least with its first-party titles.
The PS5's launch lineup was a bit disappointing as all the titles were compatible with the PS4 too. While the PS5 versions did offer higher framerates and better ray tracing performance, it wasn't enough to justify upgrading in my books. The PS6 will most likely follow the same route as the PS5 but I hope the PS6 versions of the games offer vastly better performance or features and not something you'll have to spot with a magnifying glass.
This is essentially what happened with the PS5 Pro and its launch titles. • Backwards compatibility This will most likely be happening. The PS6 is going to have a very small roster (if any) of exclusive games at launch which means gamers will need to fall back on their PS5 collection to bide their time.
Sony is aware of this and will most definitely make the PS6 compatible with PS5 games. The question is, will PS4 games work on the PS6? There are many great titles like the Mafia trilogy and more that didn't have PS5 versions, so will those games run on the PS6 too? It all depends on how Sony executes the CPU architecture of the PS6, which will determine if the new console will run older-gen games. • A reasonable price I think we can safely say that the days of cheap gaming consoles are long behind us.
Even though consoles like the PlayStation are designed to do one specific task, the cost of research and development, component and raw material cost, supply chain, etc., all have to be factored in. Everything from your phones to diapers have gotten more expensive, so it stands to reason that console prices will also increase.
A ‘reasonable' price is subjective of course, but I'm hoping the PS6 comes in somewhere under $699. Enthusiasts and die-hard fans are going to buy it day-one, irrespective of the cost, while the rest of us wait for sales and discounts before jumping on one..
