- By Prateek Levi
- Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:38 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sony PS6 launch date and time: Just like how the PS5 followed the PS4, Sony will without any doubt follow up the PS5 with its next generation of home gaming console at some point. According to documents from its US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) trial regarding the attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard in 2023, Microsoft is of the opinion that its next-gen Xbox console and Sony's PlayStation 6 might come out in 2028. A new claim however shows a different picture altogether, and the device from Sony might be much further ahead in its developmental stage than anticipated. The design of the chip that will power the PS6 is reportedly ready, and the testing for SoC could begin soon in 2025 itself.
Is the PS6 Chip Design Ready?
The information was sourced from KeplerL2, a trusted tipster who previously reported about PS5 Pro specs before the console's launch. On the NeoGAF forum, a prominent leaker shared that the design for the PlayStation 6 (PS6) System on Chip (SoC) is now complete. The leaker revealed that Sony is preparing to begin testing the first batch of chips towards the end of 2025, with A0 tapeout expected by year’s end.
"PS6 is design complete and in pre-si validation already, with A0 tapeout scheduled for late this year," the leaker wrote.
The term "pre-si validation" refers to testing a semiconductor design using simulations before it goes into physical production, while "tape-out" marks the final design phase before manufacturing begins.
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When questioned about whether the PS6 chip would use the N3 (3nm process), the leaker indicated that the chip might not offer significant gains compared to the PS5 Pro. They also mentioned that AMD's Zen 6 architecture, slated for release in 2026, would use TSMC's 3nm and 2nm processes.
Additionally, the leaker discussed the PS6’s GPU, stating that it initially began as an early version of AMD's RDNA 5 architecture (gfx13) before being replaced with a more unified UDNA design.
We should keep in mind that the PS5 runs on a custom 7 nm AMD Zen 2 CPU designed by AMD and Sony with an integrated RDNA2 GPU.
When Will the PS6 Launch?
Now let's talk about the real deal, when will it launch? The leaker, who was responding to a user who was speculating the release date of the PS6 to be in late 2026, suggested that the console could drop in 2027. “Sony's usual cadence is 2 years from A0 tapeout to console release,” they said. If tape-out for the PS6 begins by the end of 2025, a late 2027 release is highly likely. This would place Sony's PS6 launch ahead of Microsoft's expectations, as indicated by leaked court documents from its FTC trial.
This timeline would also follow a similar cycle to its previous consoles. The PS3 came out in November 2006 and then the PS4 in November 2013 after seven years, and then similarly PS5 that was also launched seven years after in November 2020. So keeping this trajectory in mind it is safe to assume that the PS6 could be launched somewhere in November 2027.
