Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 6 home and handheld consoles aren’t expected for at least two years, yet their specs are already starting to leak. The latest reports indicate that Sony is targeting a slight increase in performance compared to the current flagship PS5 Pro, but using less power and silicon real estate. Its portable version, on the other hand, is set to bring the fight to desktop handhelds, featuring exclusive titles spanning three console generations.

PlayStation 6

According to leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead (MLID) on YouTube, Sony has more conservative plans for its next-gen consoles, focusing on price/performance and power efficiency. Starting with the PlayStation 6 home console – codenamed Orion – the brand is expected to leverage a chiplet design packing eight Zen 6 cores alongside 40 to 48 RDNA 5 compute units (CUs) at 3GHz+. This APU will seemingly be linked to some amount of 32,000MT/s GDDR7 memory using a 160-bit or 192-bit bus.

While the GPU is smaller than the PS5 Pro’s 60 RDNA 3 CUs, we must keep in mind that RDNA 5 will bring a noticeable IPC uplift as it is two generations ahead. Per CU, RDNA 5 should be about 65% faster than the PS5 non-Pro’s RDNA 2, according to one of MLID’s game dev sources. Based on this, the PS6 rasterised performance is estimated to be three times that of a PS5, with a substantial ray-tracing improvement thrown in for good measure. Furthermore, the PS6 is said to do so while targeting a 160W TBP, which is noticeably lower than the PS5’s 200 to 230W.

Contrary to what many feared, Sony is reportedly targeting a lower price than the PS5 Pro with slightly higher performance, says the leaker. The PS5 Pro is quite strong already, so focusing on improving ray tracing and cost seems to be a good call. Another aspect that will please many is the console’s backwards compatibility with PS4 and PS5 games, though not PS3 currently.

The Orion chip will probably be manufactured using a 3nm node, like the one planned for next-gen Xboxes. Sony is expected to begin production in mid-2027, with availability sometime in late 2027 or early 2028.

PlayStation 6 handheld

Codenamed Canis, the handheld PS6 is said to be using a monolithic design, again built on a 3nm node. This one is set to house four denser Zen 6c cores and from 12 to 20 RDNA 5 CUs clocked between 1.6GHz and 2GHz. These share an LPDDR5X-7500+ memory pool linked via a 128-bit bus.

Thanks to its smaller size and lower frequency, the chip will apparently target a 15W TBP, similar to the Steam Deck’s APU. This should allow Sony to offer a thin-and-light handheld that boasts great battery playtime.

Upcoming PS6 handheld is estimated to provide half the performance of the PS5, in addition to strong RT capabilities. In other words, the machine will likely be able to beat the upcoming Asus ROG Xbox Ally. The best part, however, is the handheld’s capability to run PS4 and PS5 games, enabling a strong title roster from the get-go that will be on the go. Great times ahead.

In terms of I/O, the PS6 handheld is expected to include a MicroSD reader, an M.2 SSD slot, dual mics, a touch screen, haptic vibrations, and a USB Type-C port with video output capabilities. If it can project content on a bigger screen like a Switch 2, then it’s a winner. Like the living-room PS6, the handheld version is also entering manufacturing in mid-2027, with availability in fall 2027 or early 2028.

As usual, keep in mind that some of these specs may be outdated or simply false, so take them with a grain of salt. Now, assuming they are correct, next-gen Sony consoles seem to be what many users want, i.e. an affordable, fast-enough living-room machine plus a compact handheld for gaming on the go. I am especially interested in the latter, hoping it will be a worthy successor to the PSP and PS Vita.

Moore’s Law is Dead has confirmed that Sony’s next-generation PlayStation 6 will ship with two APUs, codenamed Orion and Canis, with the latter powering a new handheld console. A recently confirmed PS5 power-saving mode aligns with earlier reports, suggesting Sony is preparing its ecosystem for the PS6 era.

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Sony’s next-generation PlayStation 6 lineup has been detailed in a new leak, confirming that the system will debut with two AMD-based APUs. According to Moore’s Law is Dead (MLID) via PlayStation Lifestyle, Orion will serve as the main PS6 console chip, while Canis will power a companion handheld device. Both share the same CPU and GPU architecture, allowing Sony to streamline development across both platforms.

The Canis handheld is not a PlayStation 5 derivative, but a core PS6 product. MLID reports that it is designed to play PS4, PS5, and PS6 titles, while offering 1080p and 720p performance modes to serve as both a portable and a compact home console alternative. This strategy could help Sony draw millions of late PS4 adopters into its new ecosystem with a lower-cost entry point.

The recent confirmation of a PS5 power-saving mode, which dynamically reduces performance to lower energy consumption, aligns with earlier MLID claims that this feature would pave the way for Sony’s handheld hardware. The mode’s arrival on PS5 effectively confirms the first element of the PS6 ecosystem shift.

Sony has moved from the Shakespearean-inspired codenames used for PS5 (such as Oberon) to constellation names for PS6, with Orion representing the main console and Canis the handheld. While Sony has not revealed hardware specifications or release timing, MLID states more details, including performance targets and pricing strategies, will be released in the coming months.

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