Although the PS5 Pro has not yet been launched on the market, rumors are already circulating about the next generation, the highly anticipated PS6, which is expected to arrive no earlier than 2027. However, leaving aside what will happen in the future with prices, which seem to have no end in terms of their increase, it seems that we will receive a good surprise, or at least that is the intention of Sony.
According to a recent report from Reuters, the new PS6 will once again feature an AMD chip, which is a positive news for gamers, at least theoretically. The inclusion of an AMD chip would allow for total retrocompatibility, if Sony so decides, of the PS6 with the PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, and PS5 Pro. This would mean that the company would retain one of the most demanded features by users today.
According to Reuters, Sony and Intel were in discussions for Intel to be responsible for manufacturing the processor of the next PS6. However, in some point of 2022, Intel lost the contract in favor of AMD. Although not all the details are known, it all indicates that one of the topics of discussion between Intel and Sony would have been, reasonably, what percentage of the profit Intel would obtain for each processor integrated into the PS6.
PS6: bad news for Intel, good news for players
In addition to the price, Reuters highlights that the compatibility with previous versions of their consoles is an important point of tension with Sony, and the change from AMD to Intel would imply losing retrocompatibility with past generations, a feature that not only is being adopted by users but is also considered essential, especially in a market that is advancing towards the digital.
For Intel, which has been losing ground in the AI race and in the consumer market that is increasingly leaning towards ARM chips, the business of Sony’s consoles could have represented an approximate injection of $30 billion for Intel during a console generation, according to Intel’s internal projections mentioned by Reuters.
A long-term contract, such as manufacturing for a console company, would be particularly attractive for a company like Intel, whose main competitors are gradually segmenting their markets at a time when both the massive arrival of AI and the growth of the gaming market, dominated by NVIDIA, promise a very lucrative future, at least theoretically.
In summary, although the situation may be unfavorable for Intel, it represents good news for users, especially if Sony continues to offer retrocompatibility in the PS6.
credits of the images of this post: Hipertextual.com
