Sony only recently announced a mid-generation refresh for its current console generation with the PS5 Pro, but it looks like brief initial details about the PlayStation 6 are already emerging.
A report published by Reuters claims that Sony is at work on the PS6, and that the console will be using an AMD chip, similar to the PS4 and PS5. The report claims that Sony was in extensive discussions with a number of chip manufacturers, with Intel and AMD emerging as the two frontrunners.
However, the decision was ultimately made by 2022 to continue working with the latter, with Sony wanting to prioritize backward compatibility. In discussions with Intel, it emerged that maintaining backward compatibility with past-gen consoles while using an Intel chip instead of an AMD one would prove too costly and require too many additional resources. Disagreements over profit sharing also contributed to talks between Sony and Intel falling through.
In a statement provided to Reuters, Intel said, “We strongly disagree with this characterization but are not going to comment about any current or potential customer conversations. We have a very healthy customer pipeline across both our product and foundry business, and we are squarely focused on innovating to meet their needs.”
The PS5 is set to turn four years old this November, which would mean it’s a little more than halfway through its lifecycle. That work on Sony’s next console is already underway certainly makes sense in context of the timeline, especially with past reports having claimed that Sony was tentatively targeting a 2028 release for its next-gen machine.