Sony may be prepping two SoCs for PlayStation 6, sparking hope for a next-gen handheld

[DragonSlayer101]

TL;DR: Not long after Sony unveiled the PS5 Pro, a reputable tipster has claimed that two SoCs are in development for the PlayStation 6. The leak comes from KeplerL2, who speculated that one of the chips could be used for the full-fledged console, while the other might be intended for a new PlayStation handheld.

The information was originally posted on the NEOgaf forum under a thread about PS6 pricing but was soon spun off into a separate discussion. The post garnered significant attention from gamers, some of whom speculated that the two-SoC rumor might indicate a dual-console strategy similar to the Xbox Series X|S. Others wondered whether Sony would use the second chip to release a "slim" model at a lower price.

KeplerL2 did not disclose any additional details about the PS6 but suggested that if Sony is indeed developing two different models powered by separate chips, at least one of them could be relatively affordable. The PlayStation 6 is still years away from launch, so it remains to be seen whether it will feature multiple models at different price points or if Sony is actually working on a handheld version to compete with the Nintendo Switch.

Not much is known about the PS6 as of now, but Reuters recently suggested that Sony's next-gen console will be powered by an AMD processor. The Japanese tech giant reportedly negotiated with both Intel and AMD for the PS6 chip, but AMD won the contract in 2022. The report also noted that Intel backed out of the deal primarily because it couldn't reach an agreement with Sony on profit sharing.

Another factor in Intel's withdrawal was Sony's insistence on backward compatibility with previous PlayStation versions. Intel reportedly felt that implementing backward compatibility would be too cost-intensive and would consume a significant amount of its engineering resources, given that the last few generations of PlayStation have used AMD chips.

While the PS6 launch is still some time away, Sony recently unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro for $700. Pre-orders for the new console will open on September 26, with the official launch scheduled for November 7.

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Sony may be prepping two SoCs for PlayStation 6, sparking hope for a next-gen handheld

 

[WhiteLeaff]

Zen6 + RDNA5 custom. I hope to see a new portable console.

 

[DanteSmith]

Zen6 + RDNA5 custom. I hope to see a new portable console.

I'd love to see a "new PSP". I think even the Sony haters would like it.

 

[mistyrain]

So, to me, Sony will pick a new fight. The comsole wars are over. They won. So, options are
1. Make PS6 S and PS6 X - meaning to take even the low budjet xbox players. Totally to kill them and take over 100% console market.
2. Go after nintendo.

1 is much easier than 2, but 2 is much more challenging and interesting. And much mote to gain.

This means Sony will not just stay now victorious in console wars but chase what is next. Admirations.

 

[The Talking Tech]

More PS6 talk is further proof the PS5 Pro is a $700.00 dollar system with a 2 year expiration date.

 

[pencea]

Zen 6 and RDNA5 is definitely in the realm of possibility by the time it launches. I just sincerely hope they will still include the disc drive, and not go completely digital only.

 

[Edster]

Has to be handheld I feel, would be surprised that is a slower version.

Series S I don't think made any impact, it wasn't the entry level to game I think MS envisioned. With constant rumours of delays to games because of it, doesn't seem like it is a route anyone want to go down any time soon. Especially with PS5 Pro being a thing so recently, just don't feel like there is going to be much reason for a lower performing device to exist.

On the other hand, Steam, various OEMs, their own Portal, and Nintendo's success with Switch, has shown that handheld is actually sought after and people do want modern games on a portable devices. Portal despite its limitations, was pretty successful of a device judged by how hard it was to get stock of it for months after release. Not to mention PSP successor is quite commonly requested. As it is, if we assume MS's entire strategy is Gamepass and thus have access to the handheld market from OEMs like Asus, Sony with only the Portal has the weakest portable device out of all the major gaming hardware makers. Having a device that can play the same library as a full fledged console natively will reverse that greatly.

 

[Axeia]

2. Go after nintendo.

1 is much easier than 2, but 2 is much more challenging and interesting. And much mote to gain.

This means Sony will not just stay now victorious in console wars but chase what is next. Admirations.

I'm sure they'd like some of Nintendo's sales as the Switch has outsold the PS4 despite not being around for as long. However Nintendo sales have always been largely driven by their software. No other platform has something as iconic as Mario, Zelda or Pokémon. Nintendo has all 3 and they move units! Despite dropping the ball on the Pokémon games and the recent ones being objectively crap you bet the next one will garner massive interest yet again.

Nintendo hasn't tried to keep up with the hardware / being somewhat compatible with the other consoles. They've been doing their own thing for generations now. The GameCube was the last attempt at keeping up with MS/Sony and it didn't really pay off. The Wii was the turning point, it was a massive success and didn't rely on powerful hardware but on a gimmick and Nintendo's IPs. They tried again with the Wii U which seems to have given the insight that Gimmicks don't always succeed. With the Switch they got rid of the handheld/home console division and their IPs and outsold the competition.

If anything it might be Nintendo that makes an attempt at taking over some Sony/MS market-share by having specs close enough to the 'real' consoles that devs will bother porting games over. The Switch despite being extremely successful does have its weak hardware leading to some problems.
1) Devs don't bother porting some games over because it's too weak
* Or get a cloud only version where you have to stream the game which isn't the greatest experience either over a wireless connection.
2) Games that do get ported over (like the Witcher 3) look so bad it leads to bad sales and negative press
3) Even their own IPs (the Pokémon games in particular) struggle, the fps is so low the gameplay starts to struggle

So who knows, perhaps it'll be Nintendo that comes with a more powerful console to not only resolve a bunch of problems of its predecessor but also to take away some marketshare from the other consoles. I
f I was in charge of Nintendo I'd tell the hardware designers to develop two consoles.
* One with reasonably powerful hardware and great battery life as a direct follow up to the Switch. Powerful enough to at least get every single PS4 era title ported to it and run at the same FPS as it did on there (and run all Mario/Zelda/Pokémon games at a solid 60fps)
* One with hardware on par to at least the XBox Series S (The SteamDeck already almost manages this) but preferably much stronger. Perhaps overspec the CPU half and if power draw is an issue make up for it in the GPU half with AI upscaling magic.