Rumours of a 2027 release date for the PS6 continue to pick up steam, especially following a huge double leak coming out of Microsoft.
A new report suggests the next-gen Xbox will launch in 2027, while a dedicated Xbox handheld could release as early as this year.
According to Windows Central, the next-gen Xbox console has received the greenlight from Microsoft executives, and is pencilled in for a 2027 launch.
It will come with new controller options, and will be preceded by an Xbox handheld device.
With the Playstation 4 and Xbox One both launching in 2013, and the PS5 and Xbox Series X releasing within a few weeks of each other in 2020, it stands to reason that the PS6 and next-gen Xbox will launch in the same year.
This means the PS6 looks almost certain to have a 2027 release date, which is arguably sooner than expected.
Judging by the latest current-gen console sales figures, Microsoft and Sony can’t afford to delay the release of their new consoles.
Industry analyst Mat Piscatella recently confirmed that PS5 Pro sales are tracking below that of the PS4 Pro during the same period on sale.
In fact, all video game console sales are down year-on-year based on January sales figures.
“January video game hardware spending dropped 45% when compared to a year ago, to $205 million,” Piscatella posted. “This is the lowest January total for video game hardware spending since the $131 million reached in January 2020.
“Double-digit percentage declines compared to a year ago were seen across all major console platforms. PlayStation 5 hardware spending dipped by 38% year-on-year, with Xbox Series declining by 50% and Switch 53%.”
Sony received a temporary boost in console sales with the launch of the PS5 Pro late last year.
A big upgrade over the original PS5, the PS5 Pro makes a variety of improvements to visuals and performance.
The PS5 Pro console comes with Sony’s excellent DualSense controller, as well as a copy of Astro’s Playroom built-in to the device.
While the improvements to visuals and performance are the headline features, it’s worth remembering that the PS5 Pro also comes with a 2TB solid-state drive, which is twice the storage of the original PS5 at launch.
With games like Call of Duty potentially taking up a few hundred gigabytes of storage space, the bigger SSD is arguably worth the price alone.
Of course, it’s the improved specs that really makes the PS5 Pro worth purchasing, especially if you’re sick of choosing between graphics and performance.