3 PS6 rumours that scream "take my money now"

We might only be five years into the life of the PlayStation 5, but if you’ve been on the internet in the last few months then you’ll know that speculation is already rife about its successor – which, let’s face it, is almost certainly going to be called the PS6.

While I’m more than content with the PS5 Pro that currently sits underneath my telly, I can’t help but dip into the rumours, and there are a number of reasons why I’m already daydreaming about what the PS6 could bring to the table.

Here are three that have caught my eye.

1. It could be a fair bit cheaper than the next Xbox

Consoles are getting more expensive all the time, and with the PS5 Pro coming in at £699 ($699 / €799) you can be pretty confident that the PS6 will be a very costly investment. That’s the bad news. The good news (depending on your platform allegiance) is that it could come in at quite a bit cheaper than the next Xbox.

Xbox president Sarah Bond recently told Mashable that the company’s next-gen console would be a “very premium, high-end curated experience,” or in other words (according to the reliable Windows Central) a Windows-toting PC in Xbox-branded clothing that lets you play games from other launchers and platforms as well as Microsoft’s.

This is likely to be very expensive indeed, and could very well be a different direction to the one Sony will take.

If, as rumoured, Microsoft could be considering a $1,000+ console and PC hybrid, then the more traditional alternative of the PS6 should in theory do less damage to your wallet.

It’s only speculation at this point, so take with a generous spoonful of salt, but a known leaker has estimated the difference could be as dramatic as $600 for the PS6 vs $1,200 for the next Xbox.

This seems very unlikely, but if the final outcome is even close to those figures, it’s easy to imagine the PS6 being the choice for the vast majority of people.

2. It could launch alongside a complementary handheld console

It’s pretty obvious that Sony is interested in getting back into the handheld space. It kind of already is with the much-improved-from-launch PlayStation Portal, and given the success of the Switch 2 and the burgeoning gaming PC handheld scene, it would be crazy for Sony to sit out of the fight in the upcoming generation.

The Portal has been a surprise hit for Sony, despite it not being capable of running any games natively, and as time has passed the remote play accessory has started to look like a rough draft for a more fully-featured handheld.

That’s certainly what the rumour mill has been saying for months, and if you believe the supposed leaks, a new PlayStation handheld could arrive at the same time as the PS6.

It would act as a companion to the main console and could gazump the recently released ROG Xbox Ally and even the Xbox Ally X in the specs department.

Sony recently introduced a new Power Save mode for the PS5 that allows you to play some games with reduced performance in exchange for the console sipping less energy. Many have speculated that this could be the necessary groundwork for a handheld device that is considerably less powerful than the PS6 but still able to run the same games.

Personally, I still want a Vita 2 that is the same size as Sony’s beloved handheld of old and excels at indies and weird games, but I’ll happily take a portable PS6 for my backpack too.

3. PSSR could get even better in the next generation

When properly utilised (and that unfortunately hasn’t always been the case so far), one of the most impressive features of the PS5 Pro is PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR).

Sony’s AI-upscaling tech uses machine learning to make a lower resolution base image appear sharper and more detailed on your TV without performance being sacrificed in the process. Essentially, it uses AI to make your games look better.

Sony made a big deal about PSSR when the PS5 Pro launched last year, and it’s likely that the souped-up PS5 is a dummy run for the next version of the tech in the PS6.

Reliable YouTuber leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead has speculated that a planned update to PSSR on the PS5 Pro could offer 4K/120fps performance, as well as 8K at 60fps. I’m personally far less interested in resolution than I am high frame rates, but the thought of being able to play AAA games in their smoothest possible form while still being able to enjoy UHD fidelity does excite me.

Given the issues some developers have had with PSSR so far, it feels like we’re a long way from the tech working as it’s supposed to in every game, but if the PS5 Pro ends up being capable of the kind of numbers quoted above, the PS6 could be seriously enticing for frame rate freaks like me.