Video game purists might be lamenting the loss of physical media as we move into a largely digital gaming landscape, but fear not, we're still a long way off from abandoning our classic consoles. From the Game Boy to the SNES, the OG PlayStation and Xbox to the maligned SEGA Dreamcast, we've had plenty of weird and wonderful consoles over the years – just don't mention the Wii U.
While it's true that some people have been calling the Xbox Series S little more than a Game Pass machine, those rumors that Microsoft is abandoning consoles in favor of cloud gaming don't look like they're coming true just yet.
Over on the Blue Team, the fact that the PS5 has made Sony a not-so-small $136 billion in revenue clearly means something. Nintendo largely does its own thing, but with the Switch 2 breaking records in the USA, it also looks like traditional consoles will be around for years to come.
With both the PS5 and Xbox Series coming out in 2020, there have been obvious questions about what comes next as we head toward the end of their life cycles. Consoles are traditionally around for seven years, and with 2027 looming, talk of the PS6 and next Xbox is starting to ramp up.
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Our fears that the next Xbox had been 'cancelled' were already put to bed, and now, Video Games Chronicle claims we're getting a double-whammy of consoles in 2027.
Given the recent price hike of the PS5, we’d advise you start saving now.
The outlet shared a NeoGAF thread from AMD insider KeplerL2. AMD's recent "Future of Play" suggests the PS6 will be released in 2027. This is good news for gamers as it comes ahead of former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida predicting a 2028 release. KeplerL2 says the PS6 release window is "not just on the table, it’s the plan unless any unexpected delays happen."
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Elsewhere, insider Moore's Law is Dead shared a video that reportedly shows off the AMD Magnus APU that's supposed to be part of the next-gen Xbox.
Getting us hyped that Microsoft is about to seriously upgrade its Xbox game, MLID says that the chips are considered cheap for a PC but expensive for a console. With this, expect to be paying a lot more for the next Xbox as MLID thinks it'll cost between $800 and $1,000.
In terms of the launch window, he explained: "It is targeting a 2027 launch. And I want to be clear, that since the recent Xbox Magnus videos and RDNA 5 videos I have put out there, I’ve heard from even more sources that Microsoft is talking to partners behind the scenes and just openly saying 2027 is when Magnus launches."
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Whatever Microsoft is cooking up, the next Xbox is set to be 'stronger' than the PS6. There's something of a trade to be made here, as MLID concludes: "At the same time, it will also be more expensive because of this larger size and its use of bridge dies and likely a larger RAM capacity compared to the PS6, at least if it wants to work well as a PC console hybrid.
"But you know what? That’s okay, I think, because this time around Xbox is going to be much more than a console, it should also be something that can run more than just Xbox apps, and challenge the PC gaming market at least somewhat directly."
Don't feel too bad for Sony, as MLID has previously teased that the next PlayStation will be coming with a handheld akin to the Nintendo Switch's portability.