PS6 Will Reportedly be Backward Compatible, Sticking With AMD Chip Over Intel

In a nutshell

AMD Chip for PS6: Sony has chosen AMD to supply the chip for the PlayStation 6, continuing their partnership from the PS5.
Backward Compatibility: Ensuring backward compatibility was a major factor in the decision, as switching to Intel could have jeopardized this feature.
PS5 Pro Release: Sony is set to release the PS5 Pro on November 7, featuring an upgraded GPU, advanced Ray Tracing, and AI-Driven Upscaling.

We’re halfway through the PS5 life cycle, and already there are talks about Sony’s next-generation PlayStation 6 (PS6), with significant decisions already finalized.

PS6 Development Well Underway

A recent report from Reuters reveals that the PS6 will feature an AMD chip, continuing the partnership established with the PlayStation 5. Despite discussions between Sony and Intel, AMD secured the contract in 2022.

The report highlights that a major point of contention between Intel and Sony was the profit margin Intel would earn per processor. Additionally, backward compatibility emerged as a critical issue. Transitioning from AMD, which designed the PS5 chip, to Intel could have jeopardized backward compatibility, a concern for both engineers and executives at Sony.

“Ensuring backward compatibility with prior versions of the PlayStation would have been costly and taken engineering resources.”

This report seems to follow a logical flow, as keeping backward compatibility of the PS6 with the PS5 and even PS4 (and even more) is an often overlooked talking point compared to the graphical and performance leaps.