Six years on from the launch of the PlayStation 5, the arrival of the next generation nears – and in fact, it looks a lot closer than many originally thought.
The PlayStation 6 will launch in November 2027, according to a new claim by hardware leaker KeplerL2, meaning there’s just over one year left in the current-gen if the claim is to be believed.
KeplerL2 detailed that PlayStation 6 has been “taped out” which essentially means that its specs and components have been finalised.
This allows the console to proceed into its manufacturing phase, and once manufactured, a console is, of course, ready to go to market.
As such, a launch period of November 2027 has been estimated. It goes without saying, though, that this should be taken with a hefty pinch of salt until confirmation lands from Sony.
KeplerL2 additionally revealed that the PS6 will deliver 40 teraflops whereas Project Helix – Xbox’s next-gen console – is rumoured to deliver 56 teraflops.
That’s no major cause for concern though. Project Helix is supposedly a console and PC hybrid and so will need to pack more power.
Even if the PlayStation 6 is around 12 months away from being launch-ready, that doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily launch at the first given opportunity.
Would the PS6 plausibly arrive before PlayStation’s all-digital shift?
You see, KeplerL2’s estimation of November 2027 hugely complicates PlayStation’s shift to a digital-only future.
From January 2028, PlayStation will only offer digital copies of its new games – and that goes for both first and third-party titles.
Physical discs for new releases are being culled completely. Existing games will continue to be supported with physical copies albeit with an expected drop in production of 10%.
It’s thought then that the PS6 will predominantly be pushed as a digital-only console, perhaps with a disc drive able to be purchased separately to allow for playing backwards-compatible titles, as is the case with the revised PlayStation 5.
Following PlayStation’s controversial announcement, it seemed likely that the PlayStation 6 would launch after January 2028, making for a cohesive shift into a new era.
If KeplerL2’s claim of a November 2027 launch is correct, that would see the PlayStation 6 arrive two months ahead of that digital shift.
The PlayStation 6’s launch line-up would then possibly have the opportunity to roll out bothonly in January 2028 for subsequently released titles
At first, that feels surprising. Again, it would feel more cohesive for PlayStation’s digital shift to be backed up by a brand-new console and digital only game line-up, luring consumers into something they’re vocally against.
But then again, perhaps dropping the PS6 ahead of that digital-only deadline is deviously clever, committing consumers to another machine before the physical cull takes place partway into the next generation.
Every new PlayStation console launches with a strong first-party line-up, and it’s when you consider this that you actually find more evidence to back up KeplerL2’s November 2027 claim.
While no launch window has officially been confirmed, Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is claimed to be targeting a late 2027 release date.
It’s the type of highly anticipated game that would feel perfectly at home as a next-gen launch title.
Again, Sony is yet to officially outline its plans for the PlayStation 6, so all leaks and speculative theories should be treated as such for now.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket
