- 0-20%: Unlikely – Lacks credible sources
- 21-40%: Questionable – Some concerns remain
- 41-60%: Plausible – Reasonable evidence
- 61-80%: Probable – Strong evidence
- 81-100%: Highly Likely – Multiple reliable sources
In the past few weeks, we heard the PlayStation 6 could be delayed way past a late 2027/ early 2028 release window due to the current challenging economic conditions, but multiple leaks from Moore’s Law is Dead indicate the system is right around the corner as Sony is actively working on an imminent generational transition.
More PlayStation 6 Handheld Evidence
According to sources, work on Power Saver Mode is proceeding in a way that makes it “100% clear that it is a Trojan Horse for supporting PlayStation 6 handheld,” according to the leaker.
Using a recreation of a diagram from Sony’s guidelines to game developers for supporting Power Saver Mode in current games, the leaker demonstrates how the guidelines for how to thread the cores for this mode lines up perfectly with the leaked specifications of the handheld: 4 x Zen 6c Cores (8 threads for games) and 2 x Zen 6 Low Power Cores (up to 4 threads to handle the system thread).
These findings are extremely interesting for a very good reason. Using fewer threads doesn’t yield a significant power savings compared to running at lower clock speeds. Therefore, these guidelines only make sense if Power Saver Mode is a compatibility layer for the rumored handheld.
PlayGo: Sony’s Answer to Xbox Smart Delivery
One more leak that heavily points at the PlayStation 6 being around the corner, and at the handheld indeed being in the works, is the PlayGo leak. Introduced to the PS5 SDK 13 only a few weeks ago, this is Sony’s “version of XBOX’s ‘Smart Delivery’, and it allows for devs to organize ‘chunks’ of differing assets and textures for each PlayStation console so that a given console only downloads the exact files it will use,” the source said.
“Up until now devs would have to include PS5 Pro’s higher res textures and higher detail assets in every PS5 download regardless of if a given console was a Pro or not…but no longer! Devs can now specify downloads for PS4 + PS4 Pro, PS5, PS5 Pro, and PS5 Power Saver Mode. Yes, Power Saver Mode is getting its own Asset+Texture Packaging!”
“This would only be done if this ‘mode’ was going to be the entire bases of a new console that might need its own tweaks! You save no energy by using smaller textures,” the source concluded, once again suggesting all this work is in preparation for the next generation’s launch.
Generational Transition To A PlayStation 6 Designed To Be “Cheaper To Make”
In addition to Sony sending notice to developers regarding winding down legacy support for PlayStation Network features for PS4 games to adopt Cross-Gen SDK offerings, the main takeaway from these leaks is that the “PlayStation 6 is Not Many Years Away,” according to Moore’s Law is Dead. Everything Sony is working on behind the scenes seems to be connected to the PlayStation 6 and the handheld.
Those worried about being priced out of the next-generation system shouldn’t apparently brace themselves for terribly expensive systems. From the ground up, the PlayStation 6 and the handheld were designed to be cheap to produce, cheaper than the PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation 5 Pro. With vastly cheaper cooling and power supplies, the leaker expects the base PlayStation 6 to be cheaper than the PlayStation 5 Pro. If Sony were to release a home SKU powered by the handheld APU, it would also be cheaper than the base PlayStation 5.
Judging from these new leaks, it definitely seems like Sony is actively working on a generational transition that could be right around the corner. Hopefully, the PlayStation 6 will indeed be priced reasonably (which is possible with a reasonable subsidy with a bill of materials of around $750) and well below $1,000, something that could have a massive impact on its popularity and consequently on video gaming as a whole.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack.
After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi “Suda51” Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA’s president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3.
When he’s not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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