PS6 LIVE: Key console feature 'revealed' by Sony as release date and price rumours swirl

Key PS6 feature 'revealed'

A key feature of the expected upcoming PS6 may have been revealed by a listing on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website.

The listing shows a Sony application from 26 January of a cooling system for what's expected to be the PS6.

Drawings show a set of heat pipes and heatsinks positioned in a way that however the console is positioned, cooling will still be effective, similar to the way PCs are kept cool.

PS5 consoles have had cooling issues as Sony has recommended for them to be placed horizontally.

If they're placed vertically, some gamers have said this can cause the liquid metal used to keep it cool to slowly drain out over time, causing overheating issues and even short circuiting the console in some cases.

The PS5 Pro and newer models included grooves in the area the liquid metal sits to stop this problem.

The drawings show a PS5 console but with the PS5 Pro already being released as a mid-generation update, it would be surprising for Sony to release another version of the console at this stage, hinting this is what the company is exploring for the PS6.

To note, patents do not always make it into final products.

PS6 release date and price rumours intensify

PS6 release date and price rumours have intensified over the past few days following different comments.

Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who is working on The Blood of Dawnwalker at his studio Rebel Wolves, said it would be "better' for he and his team if the PS6 and XBOX Project Helix are delayed.

Eurogamer asked Tomaszkiewicz if a "stretched out" console generation would affect Rebel Wolves, he said: "It doesn't at all and to be honest, it's even better for us.

"Because when you have the game and you know the systems and the features adjusted to these particular consoles, you know what you need to do."

And a gaming industry analyst thinks the cost of the expected upcoming PS6, and XBOX Project Helix, could actually be cheaper than you think.

Hardware prices are through the roof at the moment which has caused older gaming hardware to unprecedentedly increase in price.

Gamesindustry.biz reports while S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan shared a report expecting game console shipments to decline by almost 20 per cent this year, there will be a gradual recovery from this over the next few years.

S&P Global Market Intelligence analyst Neil Barbour said: "A critical assumption underlying our forecast's recovery period later in the decade is that the component crisis eases sufficiently by 2028 to allow Sony and Microsoft to bring next-generation hardware to market at price points in the $600 to $800 range."

PS6 release date and price details have not been confirmed by Sony.

PS6 'delay' welcomed by The Witcher 3 director

A potential next generation console delay would be welcomed by the director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of the top 10 best selling games of all time.

Konrad Tomaszkiewicz is working on The Blood of Dawnwalker at his studio Rebel Wolves and he's said it would be "better' for he and his team if the PS6 and XBOX Project Helix are delayed.

Eurogamer asked Tomaszkiewicz if a "stretched out" console generation would affect Rebel Wolves, he said: "It doesn't at all and to be honest, it's even better for us.

"Because when you have the game and you know the systems and the features adjusted to these particular consoles, you know what you need to do.

"Always, a new platform is a new challenge: you need to learn it, you need to know what are your borders, what you can do, what you cannot do and also it's an additional build you need to create that you need to take care of later."

PS6 price could actually be cheaper than you think

A gaming industry analyst thinks the cost of the expected upcoming PS6, and XBOX Project Helix, could actually be cheaper than you think.

Hardware prices are through the roof at the moment because of key component shortages, such as memory and RAM, caused by huge tech companies investing heavily in AI data centres. This has caused older gaming hardware to unprecedentedly increase in price.

Gamesindustry.biz reports while S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan shared a report expecting game console shipments to decline by almost 20 per cent this year, there will be a gradual recovery from this over the next few years.

S&P Global Market Intelligence analyst Neil Barbour said: "A critical assumption underlying our forecast's recovery period later in the decade is that the component crisis eases sufficiently by 2028 to allow Sony and Microsoft to bring next-generation hardware to market at price points in the $600 to $800 range.

"For now, the market faces a compounding problem: hardware that is either too old or too expensive for the median consumer, a software slate that is thin outside a handful of tentpole releases and a macro environment that keeps any meaningful price relief off the table."

PS6 pricing has not been officially confirmed by Sony.