PlayStation 6 could feature 30GB of GDDR7 memory with massive bandwidth boost

[midian182]

Rumor mill: The memory crisis is expected to last for several years, but Sony hopes things will have improved by the time the PlayStation 6 arrives. According to a new rumor, the next-gen console will pack a hefty 30GB of GDDR7 with 640 GB/s bandwidth, marking a 42% increase over the PlayStation 5.

It's been almost five years since the PlayStation 5 launched. That means its successor, the PlayStation 6, isn't far away, so the rumors are starting to arrive thick and fast.

A new claim comes from long-time reliable leaker Kepler L2. According to their NeoGAF post, the PlayStation 6 will feature 30GB of GDDR7 RAM. That's 6GB more than previous rumors claimed and almost double the 16GB of GDDR6 RAM in the PlayStation 5.

Sony's next console is predicted to use ten 3GB memory modules in clamshell configuration. The memory bus is reduced from 256-bit to 160-bit, but a faster memory speed of 32Gbps per chip pushes it to 640 GB/s bandwidth, more than the PS5 Pro's 576 GB/s.

Rumors are rumors, of course, even when they come from someone with a good track record. While Sony could pack the PS6 with 30GB of memory, the current supply woes the industry is experiencing may not have been alleviated by the time the console arrives – the memory crisis is why Valve recently delayed the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.

Another forum user suggests that a 20GB PS6 would be a more realistic target as any more could raise the MSRP by another $100. Kepler disagreed, stating that 20GB simply is not enough. He acknowledged there will be an extra $100 on the bill of materials (BOM), but Sony will have to deal with the added expense until prices come down.

Sony is also believed to be releasing a PlayStation 6 handheld. Kepler believes it will feature 24GB of LPDDR5X memory.

The Japanese gaming giant is said to be developing two SoCs for the PlayStation 6 and its handheld version. Other rumors have pointed to an AMD Zen 6-based CPU, possibly with a 3D stacked cache, in the PS6 console, along with a custom UDNA GPU architecture.

As for when we'll be able to verify all these rumors, the PlayStation 6 could arrive in 2027, the same year that, according to AMD, the next Xbox will launch.

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PlayStation 6 could feature 30GB of GDDR7 memory with massive bandwidth boost

 

[themastergoose]

Sony: "Lets give it 30 GB of RAM!"
Memory suppliers: "Get in line, we’re out of stock until 2029. That's also both kidneys please."

 

[The Talking Tech]

It won't matter what it can boost, if the Sony keeps sharing all the games with the PC on day one and using their consoles as bait to get you subscribed on their Live-Service games.

 

[poohbear]

With the memory crisis, I imagine the PS6 wont get released until 2028-2029. It just wouldn't make sense financially for them.

 

[Anton Longshot]

A console for a 1000 bucks or so? Hahaha NOPE.

I hope the AI bubble pops soon and RAM prices go back to normal - I won't buy a console anyway but I do want to build a new PC and preferably with 128GB this time.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

If true, 16GB GPUs will age faster than expected.

If a PS game can use 18GB and PC games offer better textures the math is clear.

 

[TheBigT42]

That is a strange about of RAM.
2-4-8-16-32

 

[bandit8623]

1200$ console

 

[themastergoose]

That is a strange about of RAM.
2-4-8-16-32

Not if it uses 10 of the 3GB GDDR7 modules that exist.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

If true, 16GB GPUs will age faster than expected.

If a PS game can use 18GB and PC games offer better textures the math is clear.

They might. We'll see. Assuming the console comes out in 2027, it's going to take 2-3 years before new games actually make use of that hardware. That would put the 16GB 6000 series at 10 years old.

That's about on track with when Kepler GPUs became obsolete with the next gen PS4/xbone consoles.

 

[Melkor Unlimited]

Not if it uses 10 of the 3GB GDDR7 modules that exist.

Still weird number.

According to Games HUB its 160 bit wide clamshell configuration of 10x 3 GB GDDR7 chips.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

They might. We'll see. Assuming the console comes out in 2027, it's going to take 2-3 years before new games actually make use of that hardware. That would put the 16GB 6000 series at 10 years old.

That's about on track with when Kepler GPUs became obsolete with the next gen PS4/xbone consoles.

Given current demand and capacity expansion, launching for the 2027 Christmas season is possible (but potentially optimistic).

9-10 years is great for AMD's 6000 series.
7-8 years is fine for Nvidia's 4000 series.
5-6 years is fairly short for the 5000 series.

Hopefully, my 5080 doesn't age like my 3080 did where I need just a bit more VRAM 5 years later.

 

[agentnate009]

That is a strange about of RAM.
2-4-8-16-32

Not really. If they use 16GB for VRAM and the remainder (14GB) for OS and game, that works out pretty well numbers wise. Even if they use 18-20 for VRAM, that still leaves 10-12 GB for OS and game files. Now, I think they would be smart to tell AMD they want 3D cache on the CPU and then use low bandwidth DDR5 to save on cost because AMD's 3D cache performs within margin of error whether the RAM speed is 3800MT/s or 8000MT/s for many games.

 

[OortCloud]

Weird they would drop the bus width so much. Negates so much of the possible gains from this.

 

[OortCloud]

Hopefully, my 5080 doesn't age like my 3080 did where I need just a bit more VRAM 5 years later.

Given the current memory shortages, 16GB of VRAM is going to be more than enough for many years. Devs are going to have to target 8GBs of VRAM because that's all there will be in the best selling GPU's for quite some time now.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Given current demand and capacity expansion, launching for the 2027 Christmas season is possible (but potentially optimistic).

9-10 years is great for AMD's 6000 series.
7-8 years is fine for Nvidia's 4000 series.
5-6 years is fairly short for the 5000 series.

Hopefully, my 5080 doesn't age like my 3080 did where I need just a bit more VRAM 5 years later.

Id look at how long 8GB cards have held on. Many games still had PS4 versions long after the PS5 came out.

The PS6 is gonna be a slow seller. Given how long game dev takes its gonna be a long time yet before 16GB is unusable.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Id look at how long 8GB cards have held on. Many games still had PS4 versions long after the PS5 came out.

The PS6 is gonna be a slow seller. Given how long game dev takes its gonna be a long time yet before 16GB is unusable.

I'm mostly just still annoyed how much better my 3080 would have aged with 12GB rather than 10GB. The 5080 likewise may age better if it had come with 20GB, but it won't be as bad as the 3080.

My GPUs trickle down through a few rigs before retirement so I prefer great longevity when I'm gaming on one of my older setups.

 

[LimyG]

Regardless of how good or bad, over priced or reasonable the next playstation is. Even regardless of how it will sell.

It seems like it will have a defacto "latest gen," console monopoly.

How can that be? It seems that the dumpster fire - W11 will drive the next XBOX.