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The PlayStation 5 has been out since 2020, meaning it’s been a fairly long while since Sony gamers have had anything truly new to try. There have been cosmetic and slightly varied iterations since then, but nothing as likely to excite gamers as the potential PlayStation 6.
It’s worth noting that actual details are low on the ground for the PS6, but some speculated ideas can be shared for now. It could all change when we get a full reveal from Sony but, for now, here’s what we know about the unconfirmed console.
When can we expect the PS6 to come out?
Sony has been reliable in releasing a new console every few years. While there hasn’t been direct confirmation that the PlayStation 6 is coming, it would be a massive surprise for Sony to simply walk away from its major console – and the rumor mill has been churning out indications that there is indeed a PlayStation 6 on the way.
The main question is when.
Sony has a pretty regular release schedule for releasing new PlayStation iterations ever since the release of the PlayStation 3. Releases tend to come later on in the year at Sony so, whatever year the PS6 shows its face, it will likely be the last few months of the calendar. A Sony executive confirmed that the company prefers to stick to tried-and-tested schedules while speaking to Lifewire. So far, that’s something to go on at least.
Clues about the potential release timeline for Sony’s PlayStation 6 console surfaced in an official Microsoft court document related to the Activision Blizzard acquisition. The document states, “By the time SIE [Sony Interactive Entertainment] launched the next generation of its PlayStation console (which is likely to occur around [redacted]), it would have lost access to Call of Duty.”
While the specific date is redacted, sharp observers have linked this statement to Microsoft’s offer to keep Activision Blizzard games available on PlayStation platforms until 2027. This connection suggests that, at the earliest, Microsoft did not anticipate a new PlayStation console before 2027.
Consequently, 2027 and 2028 emerge as plausible target years when Sony might unveil the PS6, or at least the earliest timeframe Microsoft had considered for the next PlayStation’s debut.
Realistically, we’ll likely see the release of the PlayStation 5 Pro a year or two before the PS6.
How much can we expect the PlayStation 6 to cost?
Once again, we can only look back at Sony’s history to get an idea of how much the PlayStation 6 could cost.
The PS5 launched at $399 in 2020, while its Slim version came in at $499 in 2023. With Sony increasing the price by $100 for an updated version with three years between the releases, another three years until the predicted release of the PS6 in 2026 could see another $100 price hike,
It’s entirely possible that the PlayStation 6 could cost as much as $600 for its base version, especially considering that we don’t yet know what new features could be included in the console.
PS6 specs: How much power can we expect the PlayStation 6 have?
The PlayStation 5 is already a powerful system, capable of knocking out a 4k resolution with ease. With the PS5 Pro still to come as somewhat of a bigger brother, this will naturally have even more power, so by the time the PS6 arrives, we can expect more capabilities.
Looking initially at the all-important Teraflops, since the PS5 came in at just over 10, and the Xbox Series X beating that with 12, Sony will be out to better their rivals at Microsoft.
Moreover, with games only getting larger, Sony and Microsoft will likely both need to boost storage space. It can be expected that the SSD may be around the 2TB mark, potentially even more if devs don’t get a handle on the size of assets and the inevitable update after update one game launch.
Featured image: Ideogram
