Sony’s PlayStation 5 is nearly five years old already, meaning it’s already well over the halfway point of its expected market lifespan at least compared to the previous seven-year-long runs of the PS3 and PS4.
Rumors and leaks have already begun popping up about supposed PlayStation 6 hardware and specs, with some suggesting that the PS6 may incorporate a mobile functionality similar to the Nintendo Switch family.
Some developers have already begun announcing games that presumably would launch on the fast-approaching console, such as Kojima Productions’ Physint, which is expected to release in 2030 or 2031.
However, concrete information on the PS6’s hardware or planned capabilities was all limited to speculation until Sony and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. announced a new collaboration today for the advancement of gaming processing called Project Amethyst.
Sony and AMD’s Project Amethyst Explained
In a short video called “From Project Amethyst to the Future of Play: AMD and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Shared Vision”, AMD’s Computing and Graphics Group Senior Vice President and General Manager Jack Huynh sat down with Mark Cerny, lead architect of the PlayStation Vita, PS4, and PS5, to officially unveil their collaborative Project Amethyst.
Project Amethyst is an ongoing project between Sony and AMD working towards groundbreaking machine learning technologies for future gaming hardware that will specifically be utilized in new PlayStation consoles.
The PS6 is never specifically mentioned over the course of this video, but Cerny did state that, “… it’s of course still very early days for these technologies, they only exist in simulation right now, but the results are quite promising and I’m really excited about bringing them to a future console in a few years time.”
The new technologies Cerny refers to include:
- Neural Arrays: groups of GPU compute units working together to share and process data similar to an AI, to allow for greater rendering and scalability
- Radiance Core: new hardware blocks that handle ray and path tracing in real time, allowing for increased light performance and an overall more efficient rendering process
- Universal Compression: a new system that evaluates all data headed to memory and compresses it when available, only sending out essential bytes, to allow the GPU to deliver more detail and higher frame rates.
While these technologies are still only in their simulation stage, both Huynh and Cerny hope to get these new assets in video game developers’ hands as soon as possible, suggesting that the dawn of the PS6 may come by late 2027, especially if the new console continues the pattern of launching seven years after the previous console generation.
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- Brand
- Sony
- Original Release Date
- November 12, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $499, €499, £449, ¥49,980 (Base) // $399, €399, £359, ¥39,980 (Digital),
- Operating System
- Orbis OS
- Processor
- Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2
- Resolution
- 720p – 8K
- Security Camera Installation – indoor/outdoor IP CCTV systems & video analytics
- Access Control Installation – key card, fob, biometric & cloud‑based door entry
- Business Security Systems – integrated alarms, surveillance & access control
- Structured Cabling Services – voice, data & fiber infrastructure for new or existing builds
- Video Monitoring Services – 24/7 remote surveillance and analytics monitoring
Author: 360 Technology Group
