Katarzyna Petru
Rumours about the next generation of consoles are starting to gain momentum – more and more sources indicate that both PlayStation 6 and the new Xbox will hit the market in 2027.
AMD back in the spotlight
Both Sony and Microsoft have already confirmed that their next consoles will be based on AMD chips. This means a continuation of the x86 architecture, which will ensure straightforward backwards compatibility with games from PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One. However, this does not mean that all titles will work perfectly right away – many will require optimisation from the developers.
PlayStation 6: Project "Orion" and Handheld "Canis"
According to well-known leakers Moore’s Law is Dead and KeplerL2, PlayStation 6 is set to debut in autumn 2027, provided Sony's plans do not change.
Mark Cerny – the chief system architect of PlayStation – recently confirmed that the new console is on its way:
“It is still very early days; most of these technologies exist only in simulations. The results are promising, however, and I can’t wait to implement them in the future console in the coming years.”
Cerny referred to Project ‘Project Amethyst’, which introduced the well-known from PS5 Pro technology PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This is set to be replaced by a new version in 2026.
Three key technologies will feature in PS6:
Neural Arrays – grouping graphics cores for greater AI power,
Radiance Cores – dedicated hardware for realistic lighting and ray/path tracing,
Universal Compression – data compression sent to the GPU, improving performance and reducing power consumption.
PS6 is expected to retain aoptional disc drive, while Sony is concurrently developing ahandheld codenamed “Canis”, which is intended to be part of the same generation.
New Xbox: project “Magnus”
Following rumours about Microsoft possibly moving away from physical consoles, the company dismissed these reports on October 5th:
“We are actively investing in future consoles and devices designed and built by the Xbox team.”
According to Moore’s Law is Dead, the new Xbox codename “Magnus” is also set to debut in 2027 and – similar to the PS6 – is expected to utilise new AMD chipsets with Zen 6 architecture and RDNA 5. Rumours also suggest over 30 GB of GDDR7 memory, even four times the AI performance and native 4K at 120 Hz in many games.
7 years later – the classic console life cycle
If these predictions come true, then 2027 will mark exactly a seven-year console cycle, just like previous generations.
PS6 and the new Xbox are expected to stick with PC architecture, while the Nintendo Switch 2 is set to use Nvidia's ARM chip, typical for mobile devices.
Although the technical details remain uncertain, one thing seems clear – the next generation of consoles is set to bring a huge leap in AI, graphics, and performance.
