Prediction - PS6 will not be designed to replace the PS5.

[EricHiggin]

Soundwave said:

EricHiggin said:

SNY realizes that in retrospect, due to the pandemic, inflation, tariffs, etc, PS5 should've launched with 8TF of performance at $399.

My somewhat open prediction based on the next gen leaks so far:

PS6P will be 6TF-8TF. Will have PSSR3/FSR5 upscaling tech to punch above that. Will be fully BC and FC. Will be dockable. Will cost $499.

PS6 will have the exact same internal hardware as PS6P (no screen, battery, etc) in a different unique case. Will be 6TF-8TF. Will cost $399-$449.
OR
Similar to above, but a larger PSU, upgraded heatsink and fan, will be stronger than PS6P in docked mode. Will be 10TF-12TF. Will cost $449-$499.

PS6 Pro will be the true next gen device at 24TF or higher for enthusiasts. Will be a better deal than PS5 Pro in terms of new tech. Will be $699-$749.

*All will be available at launch, or PS6 Pro will be announced by launch and will come 1 or 2 years later.

The leaked specs of PS6 Portable are not in that 6-8 teraflop range, lower than that. 

It's going to be sub-PS5 in raw performance. 

Nintendo will counter it with a more powerful Switch 2 Pro because they're not about to let Sony just walk into their turf like it's 1995 and take their market share. Different president, no two-tier platforms anymore either for Nintendo, if you're going to come at them directly this time around I think they will attack back directly. Switch is the only console they have. 

But this is all going to create a chain reaction where devs will then have to make sure games run on that lower spec. So PS6 Console is just going to be like the same games but running at some what higher settings, and nothing special at that as its performance won't exactly be cutting edge either. A 4080 or 5070, which ever one the PS6 (home/giant brick console) falls close to is already on the market and it's nothing special performance wise. 

Sony knows this and doesn't care because the PS5 and traditional consoles are not growing market share. They look and see the Switch hybrid concept is having massive success and are seeking to gain some of that. They cannot afford games to get more expensive anyway themselves, their own internal leaked documents show they were freaking out over the budgets of PS5 games as is (Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank, etc.). 

Also that pricing range is wishful thinking I think, it will cost more than that for the PS6 Portable. 

Initial PS6P leak was like 50% ish performance of PS5. Now it's supposedly 75% ish with newer documents. PS5 is 10TF.

I don't see Nin pulling another GCN. I'd guess they'll be more likely to follow MS and SNY lead, for the reasons they're doing so, which you talked about, and make a SW2 home console. Broaden the potential customer base. Cheaper hardware is what has worked for Nin since Wii.

The leak also says SNY is laser focused on cheap hardware. Above $500 for a handheld isn't cheap. Worst case, PS6P will be subsidized a bit if SNY has to, especially going up against SW2, and potentially a XB handheld by that point.