PS6: potential release date, controller, price and games
Sony will be hoping to build on the success of the PlayStation 5 with a PS6 console
Sony is working on the next PlayStation console, the PS6. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as development on the next console generation tends to begin as soon as the current one has launched.
It means that plans for a PS5 successor are already well underway, as Sony finalizes the hardware, design, and features of the PlayStation 6 before it makes an official announcement or an unwanted leak takes place.
But what can we expect from the sixth PlayStation console? Let’s discuss the PS6 potential release date, controller, price, and some of the games we can expect to see.
PS6 release date
Sony revealed that the PS5 has entered the “latter half of its lifecycle” in February, suggesting we could see a PS6 release date as soon as 2027.
The PS5 will be four years old on November 19, 2024, and console sales have begun to stall. Sony is set to release the PS5 Pro towards the tail end of this year, which should give PlayStation 5 sales a mid-generation boost, and the PlayStation 6 will likely follow three years later in 2027.
Console lifecycles typically last between five to seven years, so it wouldn’t be too shocking to see the PlayStation 6 arrive in 2027 as the PS5 will have been on sale for seven years come November 2027.
A November release date is also likely, as Sony has historically launched its consoles in the month of Black Friday to take advantage of the holiday season.
PS6 controller
One of the most exciting aspects of the PlayStation 6 is the PS6 controller. Sony historically played it safe with its console controller, but the PS5 DualSense was a radical and refreshing departure from the norm.
With haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, the PlayStation 5 DualSense is arguably one of the console’s best features and provides a unique selling point when it comes to PS5 vs Xbox Series X. So what could the PS6 controller offer?
It’d be great to see Sony add two dedicated back-buttons to the PS6 controller, something that has become the norm with third-party controllers. Switching to Hall Effect sensors that aren’t prone to stick drift would also be preferable, which would make some of the best PS5 controllers even better.
However, one of the biggest changes players will be hoping to see from the PS6 controller is better battery life. The PS5 controller battery life only lasts around six to eight hours on average, which pales behind the competition.
A controller that still contains a few surprises but doesn’t need to be charged constantly would be extremely welcome, then. A patent filed by Sony hints that we could see a controller that lets you smell what’s happening in PS5 games, while another could replicate the sensation of cold or heat. We’ll have to wait and see whether either feature makes it into the DualSense 2.
PS6 price
The PS6 price will be determined by various factors, but it could be the most expensive PlayStation console of all time. That record was previously held by the PS3, which was released in 2006 for $599.99. However, the PS5 Pro is set to eclipse that price when it releases on November 7 for $699.99.
Sony has been reluctant to hit the PS5’s price point since, releasing the PS4 for $399 in 2013 and the PS5 for $499 in 2020. However, we haven’t seen the typical price cut that accompanies Sony’s redesigned console, the PS5 Slim, as Sony hasn’t been able to reduce the cost of its manufacturing process.
With the price of games increasing to $70 during the PlayStation 5 generation, and accessories like the PSVR 2 costing $549, it’s hard to see how Sony will be able to release the PS6 for anything less than $499 or even $599.
PS6 games
The PlayStation 5’s library has been criticized for relying too heavily on cross-platform games and various remasters and remakes. Unlike the PS4 and PS3 generation, where Sony’s first-party teams delivered several must-have exclusives, we’ve been left wanting when it comes to new entries in our favorite franchises that truly harness the power of the PlayStation 5.
Sony also recently ruled out any 'existing major franchise titles' for PS5 before March 2025, which suggests it could be readying a bumper lineup of software for the PS6’s launch.
Expect the PS6 to be backward compatible with the best PS5 games (and hopefully PS4), and developers will likely offer “enhanced” versions of older titles that take advantage of the additional horsepower and new features of the PlayStation 6.
PS6 news and rumors
AMD will power the PlayStation 6
AMD will produce the chip inside Sony’s PS6 instead of Intel. According to a new report from Reuters, Intel was outbid by AMD on a contract worth billions of dollars in 2022. Sticking with AMD will be beneficial to Sony, as it should make backward compatibility with PS5 games easier. Reuters report says that moving to Intel from AMD would have risked backward compatibility, which was “a subject of discussion between Intel and Sony engineers and executives”.
We’ll be rounding up all the PS6 news and rumors in the coming months and years to come, so check back often to find out more about Sony’s next PlayStation console.
Last updated: September 17, 2024