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🔥 Respective leaks for Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen consoles mean the new console war is heating up
📆 Chat from leakers KeplerL2 and Moore’s Law Is Dead puts both the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles on track for a 2027 release, all being well
It is rumored that Microsoft is targeting a hybrid console with PC game-playing powers, driven by a powerful AMD APU
Sony, meanwhile, is rumoured to be putting out a handheld alongside the PS6
We’ve heard some exciting rumours concerning the battle for next-gen consoles between Microsoft and Sony.
As per reliable leaker KeplerL2, Sony is intending to release the PS6 in 2027. In a post on the NeoGAF forum, they even went as far as to say that a 2027 release for the console is “not just on the table, it’s the plan unless any unexpected delays happen”.
This puts it sooner than previous estimates from hardware leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead (MLID), who said the PS6 release date could be early 2028. He also believes the console will offer 50 percent more power than the PS5 for the same $499 price tag (though that could be $549, after the recent PS5 price increase).
MLID also recently posted a YouTube video that claims to show the AMD Magnus APU that could power a new Xbox. It’s alleged to be the most powerful processor fitted in a games console, and is nearly 1.5x the size of the die reported to be in the PlayStation 6.
With this, Microsoft is reportedly intending to position the next Xbox as a hybrid console designed for both first-party Xbox console games and PC titles from other storefronts. In a way, a step up from the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X handheld that can play PC games and stream from Xbox consoles.
He expects the Magnus APU to provide a “more premium version of the same performance you would get from a PS6”, with differences in fidelity more noticeable on a monitor rather than a TV.
As a result, MLID notes that the new Xbox is likely to come at an increased cost against the PlayStation 6 – somewhere in the region of $800 to $1200. This, he thinks, will lead to lower prices from PC manufacturers on pre-built computers, given the power on offer from the new Xbox.
With the new Xbox, he noted that Microsoft is “targeting a 2027 launch”, is already talking to partners behind the scenes and is “just openly saying 2027 is when Magnus launches”.
We’d previously heard from MLID that the PlayStation 6 launch would be accompanied by a handheld with Switch-style docking powers, causing more rumors about a PSP 2 to swirl.
It is important to note that, as exciting as these rumors are, they are just that. While both Microsoft and Sony have confirmed that work on the next-generation of consoles are underway, no other information lights just yet.
Up next: How Xbox Game Pass went from ‘the best deal in gaming’ to the worst
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with credits in Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.
