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Nostrodrunkus prediction #2: PS6 Handheld will launch in 2027

They could eat a lot of the costs. I expect this will be still cheaper than the PS5 Pro.

Also, costs aren't coming down any decade soon. A delay wouldn't help anything price wise, ability to obtain stock will be more of an issue for anyone.

Yeah I think it will be the standard ps5 price and have optional disc drive to keep costs down. I dont think they will sell at 699 but with global issues, and everything going up maybe they will force it to be the norm for gaming. Hope not
 
It will not be 3-4 times more expensive
Impact from memory/nand would be 200$ max, or at expected price 33% increase
Enthusiasts will buy it anyway, especially given that alternatives will be more/much more expensive as well - "high tide lifts all boat" (and no, cloud will not save anybody as it'll be proportionally more expensive as well, even more so as datacenter infrastructure will have price competition as well)
It's not just RAM/NAND but also getting space from TSMC. Even Apple has been pushed to the back by Nvidia. AMD and Sony aren't anywhere near the top of the ladder with TSMC.

Now, Sony will probably use a mature node like N3P or whatever is most cost efficient, but still wafer space will be at a premium for the next couple of years.

It's certainly going to be interesting to see what Sony is going to do but since they are launching a mass market console, they can't charge crazy prices and at the same time they aren't going to support hundreds of $ per console in subsidies like during PS3 early days.
 
The market will continue to grow, and PC handhelds will continue to improve. Vita exclusives also existed. Something that won't be the case if Sony continues to bring their games to PC.

I'd expect a PlayStation branded handheld to outsell anything from Valve, but to say there'd be no competition and sales attenuation from Deck 2…that's just wrong.
get out of pcmrn bubble, pc handhelds are niche ass niche market. whole of it on track to be outsold by a streaming accessory called portal.
deck2 is not a threat to anyone, (if its ever released that is)
 
It's certainly going to be interesting to see what Sony is going to do but since they are launching a mass market console, they can't charge crazy prices and at the same time they aren't going to support hundreds of $ per console in subsidies like during PS3 early days.
You are looking at things way too simplistic.
Why is that they can't charge high?
They will still be THE most affordable **70 class hardware even if they charge more.
This market itself will shrink some due to elasticity, but Sony will not lose their share in this market, most probably they will gain more instead. Which, in turn, will help them when component prices normalize.

It's same as in general inflation - when everyone raises price - you can do it too without several negative impact on business as all customers alternatives are in the same situation.
 
It's not just RAM/NAND but also getting space from TSMC. Even Apple has been pushed to the back by Nvidia. AMD and Sony aren't anywhere near the top of the ladder with TSMC.

Now, Sony will probably use a mature node like N3P or whatever is most cost efficient, but still wafer space will be at a premium for the next couple of years.

It's certainly going to be interesting to see what Sony is going to do but since they are launching a mass market console, they can't charge crazy prices and at the same time they aren't going to support hundreds of $ per console in subsidies like during PS3 early days.
It's not just the price that has become a problem insiders have leaked that AMD is skipping RDNA 4 and they intent to keep RDNA 3.5 in their APUs until 2029! So whatever APU they end up using for this Sony device is still going to be RDNA 3.5
 
You are looking at things way too simplistic.
Why is that they can't charge high?
They will still be THE most affordable **70 class hardware even if they charge more.
This market itself will shrink some due to elasticity, but Sony will not lose their share in this market, most probably they will gain more instead. Which, in turn, will help them when component prices normalize.

It's same as in general inflation - when everyone raises price - you can do it too without several negative impact on business as all customers alternatives are in the same situation.
People will just stay on PS5 and Sony will be shrinking the market. Economy is shit (outside data centers and financial chicanery).

It doesn't make sense for them to launch with say $800+ console. Not if they plan to sell 100 mil of them eventually. This is why they have the Pro console for higher margin and mid generation bump.

I think Sony will push back PS6 launch to either late 2028 as some new memory factories are coming online by then and hopefully data center AI gold rush will settle down.

That said, who knows, maybe Sony goes nuts and charges $900 for PS6 and tells people to get 2 jobs.
 
People will just stay on PS5 and Sony will be shrinking the market. Economy is shit (outside data centers and financial chicanery).
Some will buy it even 1000$, myself included, there are some people who are not that much money sensitive and wants a new tech

It doesn't make sense for them to launch with say $800+ console. Not if they plan to sell 100 mil of them eventually. This is why they have the Pro console for higher margin and mid generation bump.
It doesn't make sense to delay ~the same~ hardware when they sell it to enthusiasts first and then drop price and sell for the rest
It still will be a higher sales than to release the same hardware year later at the same "post-pricedrop" level.
Waiting is just leaving early adoption on the table, everything else will be the same after 1 year delay

I think Sony will push back PS6 launch to either late 2028 as some new memory factories are coming online by then and hopefully data center AI gold rush will settle down.
And we will get 1year outdated hardware just for the sake of not releasing it at high price? Why not wait Nintendo style 5 years until it can be sold for 300$ instead of 500$?

That said, who knows, maybe Sony goes nuts and charges $900 for PS6 and tells people to get 2 jobs.
If memory crisis persists - I would like it to be 800$ in 2027 and price dropped to 600$ in 2028 instead of launching 600$ in 2028
 
People will just stay on PS5 and Sony will be shrinking the market. Economy is shit (outside data centers and financial chicanery).

It doesn't make sense for them to launch with say $800+ console. Not if they plan to sell 100 mil of them eventually. This is why they have the Pro console for higher margin and mid generation bump.

I think Sony will push back PS6 launch to either late 2028 as some new memory factories are coming online by then and hopefully data center AI gold rush will settle down.

That said, who knows, maybe Sony goes nuts and charges $900 for PS6 and tells people to get 2 jobs.
Orion is only 280mm² with only 160 bit bus so.... Sony is aiming for OG PS5-ish price point, which you could inflate to $600 ish for 2027.
 
Still personally think Sony won't even release a handheld if the AI hardware crisis massively inflates price. Which sucks because I'd be there day one if it happens.
Sony handheld is the product they are going to market to younger people who don't play in their TV, the segment Sony is fearing today. So I would bet the handheld is currently higher priority for Sony than desktop PS6.
 
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Sony handheld is the product they are going to market to younger people who don't play in their TV, the segment Sony is fearing today. So I would bet the handheld is currently higher priority for Sony than desktop PS6.
I'm not even a Sony fanboy and I know this is a nonsense take. PC gaming is a bigger threat to Sony than handheld gaming is.
 
Like 5 games total support the PS5 low power mode, enjoy using that as the basis for the handheld's dev support I guess
 

Nostrodrunkus



Animated GIF
 
Wheres your source that it will be delayed? Because none of them are credible

Moore's law said, they might decide delaying it to early 2028. Nothing more has been decided.




Unless there is a global event like a covid, or things get worse with Ram, there is no reason for a 2-3 year delay like some people want.

Also funny no1 is asking for Xbox's next rumour console to be delayed, even though they can barely sell consoles now days

I love that you still can't just admit: I made it up

Stop trying to convince me. You have zero clue if, when, or why it'll be delayed.
 
For this to be successful imo- it also needs its own games. If its just PS5 games and ports etc, then you might aswell stay on the Portal no?
I dunno, i love the PS ecosystem and owned just about everything but support outside of their main console has always been an issue. I most likely get whatever it is, day one- but i hope they can create PSHH specific games and maintain that support.
 
I think separating the handheld and the console was always an option on the table, but will the benefits of doing so outweigh the cost? What a tricky thing to get right.
 
Orion is only 280mm² with only 160 bit bus so.... Sony is aiming for OG PS5-ish price point, which you could inflate to $600 ish for 2027.
I guess we shall see. I have some doubts they can hit $600 price point in 2027 with the crazy RAM and NAND price increases and higher cost for wafers.

If they can though I can see it being quite successful.
 
Some will buy it even 1000$, myself included, there are some people who are not that much money sensitive and wants a new tech


It doesn't make sense to delay ~the same~ hardware when they sell it to enthusiasts first and then drop price and sell for the rest
It still will be a higher sales than to release the same hardware year later at the same "post-pricedrop" level.
Waiting is just leaving early adoption on the table, everything else will be the same after 1 year delay


And we will get 1year outdated hardware just for the sake of not releasing it at high price? Why not wait Nintendo style 5 years until it can be sold for 300$ instead of 500$?


If memory crisis persists - I would like it to be 800$ in 2027 and price dropped to 600$ in 2028 instead of launching 600$ in 2028
I guess we will know in a year or so. Either way it will be interesting to see which direction Sony will go.
 
As everyone knows by now, PS6 is rumored to be delayed from 2027 to 2028. I have already predicted that XBox Magnus will launch in 2027 as planned, along with other Zen 6/RDNA 5 e g. Madusa Halo APUs. Now I will add one other Z6/R5 APU device to 2027 launch: Playstation 6 Handheld.

Some relative points:

- Sony has been demanding a "Low Power" version of PS5 software from devs for about a year now. Its already part of the SDK. The target is 15W, which happens to be PSHH total TBP.

- PS6HH's Canis is far less complex monolithic APU than PS6's Orion. Acceptable yields should be easier to reach, in time for 2027 launch.

- Launching both PS6 and PS6HH in the same year was always a daunting challenge. By delaying PS6 launch, PS6HH would be given more proper launch efforts.

- Sony wants to tackle Switch 2 before it gets insurmountable marketshare.

- Yer mama's fat.

Personally, PS6 Hsndheld seems like a poor code name, as it's more of a PS5 handheld. Porting down PS6 software to it will get really ugly: with over 3.3x CUs @ 2x clockspeed, 2X CPU cores, and lordy know how much more RAM, porting PS6 spftware down will make Series X to S software problems look like a scooter ride through the park.

So waiting to launch this handheld seems problematic for its success. It needs to tackle Switch 2 ASAP. Thus, launching in 2027.

Nostrodrunkus has spoken.
Questions ;

A) is the ps6 handheld as powerful as the Strix Halo 395 AI max? Whats the power?

B) will it play purchased ps4/ps5 digital games from your library? What is the compatibility?

C) 1080p screen LCD? oLED?

D) any physical media like the Vita cartridge?
 
I love that you still can't just admit: I made it up

Stop trying to convince me. You have zero clue if, when, or why it'll be delayed.
Admit what lol. I never said I made it up, its what Mlid said and I agree with him over the other rumours atm.
Whether you choose to listen to rumours by random people or him is up to you. Its just a little bit more credible atm that the others. But you be convinced by who you want. Nothing is concrete, Im only going by the most reliable rumour. I cant predict global crisis events, so until then a year delay at most reasonable.



But ok…I made up what he says at 26mins - 29mins. Where he clearly says nothing has been decided yet, contracts with TSMC and what he think about delays from 2027 to early 2028.

But because you think its me convincing you, Im actually the source that told him to say it. Infact Im kaz's cousin
 
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Questions ;

A) is the ps6 handheld as powerful as the Strix Halo 395 AI max? Whats the power?

B) will it play purchased ps4/ps5 digital games from your library? What is the compatibility?

C) 1080p screen LCD? oLED?

D) any physical media like the Vita cartridge?
A) its no where near any Strix Halo in raster but might be close in RT. 16 CUs at max 2GHz docked is the rumor. Weakest Strix Halo still has double the CUs (even if its only 3.5 vs 5) and clocks up to 2.8GHz.

B) I doubt Sony will let you play them for free. PS4 games might be, but them PS5 games need modified code ("Low power" versions) so they would make you pay for those in some way but prolly not a full double dip.

C) 1080p LCD most likely

D) uSD card suppprt along with m.2 SSD is most likely.
 
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Personally, PS6 Hsndheld seems like a poor code name, as it's more of a PS5 handheld. Porting down PS6 software to it will get really ugly:
I think It's the opposite. Games will still target PS6 Handheld (&PS5 since massive install base). And then port upwards.

PS6 handheld has the important PS6 hardware features like fast Tensor cores and Level 4/5 RT acceleration.
 
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The handheld will have the same gen cpu and gpu as the PS6 console, that why people call it PS6 handhled, and by technical perspective, the handheld
  1. support AI upsclaing (PSSR 2.x) and support Neural Arrays to obtain better upscaling and denoising at lower cost to GPU performance.
  2. other AI graphicial technologies, like neural rendering, Frame-gen and dynamical franme-gen
  3. next gen amd raytrcing accelerators (Radiance Cores): it will have better raytrcing and path tracing support than PS5
  4. new compress layer support (Universal Compression): A software layer that compresses data of all types (not just specific file formats, as in current solutions) as it flows through the graphics pipeline, effectively boosting available memory bandwidth.
Fellows here call it PS5 handhled is by what its performance is. But since the handheld has same gen CPU/GPU as PS6 console, pure PS6 title will easier to port to the handheld (also we have the predicted specs, the handheld has 24gb ram vs 16 gb ram in standard PS5)
 
Behold the ecosystems wars.

As great at this device could turn out, it won't be able to compete with Nintendo.

Switch 2 will have almost 2 years of advantage by the time this releases, and this will certainly be another deluxe priced device that just plays the same games. It didn't work for the PS5 Pro.

In any case, they still have the player base to make this relevant and propel the handheld market even more. I hope this gives them a reason to bring more old games to the store.
 
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I think it will be the opposite, I think Sony has planned to release PS6 (desktop) 7 years after PS5, November 2027 following the tradition.

And the portable would be released 2-3 years after it, as the PS Player did, because this portable would act as the next gen PS Player replacement, now improved by also playing games natively.
 
The handheld will launch day and date with the stationary version, and simply be a scaled back, cheaper PS6 that will unashamedly copy Switch's hybrid design. At least that's my hope, and the only way to lure me in.
 
Switch 2 will have almost 2 years of advantage by the time this releases
Yes, which Is why it will not get delayed out of 2027, as much as people want that to be the case.
and this will certainly be another deluxe priced device that just plays the same games. It didn't work for the PS5 Pro.
Ehhh, nothing suggests that to be the case for now.

I think it will be the opposite, I think Sony has planned to release PS6 (desktop) 7 years after PS5, November 2027 following the tradition.

And the portable would be released 2-3 years after it, as the PS Player did, because this portable would act as the next gen PS Player replacement, now improved by also playing games natively.
Both are internally targeting the same release date, sitting on it for 2-3 years makes zero sense.

I can see them releasing a handheld just so that they can hold off on releasing the PS6 for like 2 to 3 more years.
The handheld is a PS6 as well, they're going to be released at the sane time.
 
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Wow there are some people that really don't understand the Rampocalypse in here aren't there. Sony recently told investors it had memory secured until the end of the holiday period 2026 only for ps5. it isn't just that ram prices are increasing, all the fabrication plants have locked in their production quotas and contracts for the foreseeable future to the AI big tech companies with many dropping consumer Ram completely. When this started some of the company's involved stated that although they started building factories once this became clear it takes 3 years to complete one of these to the standards needed to get decent yields, which would put the first production ram coming out of these factories at the end of 2028.
Right now prices have exploded but there is still inventory, that inventory is going to dry up over this year and next with the prices exploding in line, it isn't that the ram costs more to produce, it's that the manufacturers won't be releasing their ram to the open market and have no capacity for new contracts no matter the demand.. so anyone that wants a new console next year better burst that ai bubble, however even then companies like openai are sitting on huge quantities of ram unused that will never return to the market even if the ai bubble bursts
Strap yourselves in, because all those years of hardware design getting ready to release next gen products never anticipated this and are non starters if there's no ram available, and don't even think about what's happening on the ssd front right now
People thought climate policies were going to send us back to the Stone Age with deindustrialisation, but turns out that these ai datacenters will end the era of local tech in our homes, they want to lease compute to us now.. though the way the energy consumption is looking the uk at least will be facing blackouts in the next few years if these companies are allow to connect up to our grid - the demand for datacenters to be connected to the uk it was announced would have peak need of 50Gigawatts - current max peak usage of the whole of the uk grid for all households right now is 45Gigawatts, they haven't thought this out at all and it's going to hit us all in various ways
 
The handheld will launch day and date with the stationary version, and simply be a scaled back, cheaper PS6 that will unashamedly copy Switch's hybrid design. At least that's my hope, and the only way to lure me in.
They are not launching at the same time, no way.
 
I think it will be the opposite, I think Sony has planned to release PS6 (desktop) 7 years after PS5, November 2027 following the tradition.

And the portable would be released 2-3 years after it, as the PS Player did, because this portable would act as the next gen PS Player replacement, now improved by also playing games natively.
What's a PS Player? Are you referring to the PS Portal? You think Canis will be replacement to Portal?
 
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I think it will be the opposite, I think Sony has planned to release PS6 (desktop) 7 years after PS5, November 2027 following the tradition.

And the portable would be released 2-3 years after it, as the PS Player did, because this portable would act as the next gen PS Player replacement, now improved by also playing games natively.
The handheld have to release before PS6, if already developers need to support the low power mode to make PS5 games compatible with PS6 handheld, releasing after of PS6 and forcing every game compatible is going to be a hell for developers.
 
C) 1080p LCD most likely
guy gravity GIF

I have undusted my Vita recently for reasons and my god, what a system. Truly portable (it fits in a coat's pocket), quality materials, future-proof screen, vey powerful and playing something like PS1's Front Mission 3 a battery that last five hours or more.

The lost art of miniature engineering, and not the obscene tablets that we have now. Yes, a lot of old fashioned hardcore gamers with disposable income are pushing 50 (80 if you're Topher Topher ), and our sights welcome bigger screens. But portable means portable!!

the incredibles pixar GIF by Walt Disney Studios
 
The handheld will launch day and date with the stationary version, and simply be a scaled back, cheaper PS6 that will unashamedly copy Switch's hybrid design. At least that's my hope, and the only way to lure me in.
I hope it is a hybrid. I want one for my kids. I am considering a second Switch2, but a different platform would be better. I am PCs as a main, Switch2/PS5 for exclusives and would even consider doing PS6 as a main if the GPU situation doesn't give me a decent upgrade for my 4090. Console version for me, portable for the kids, possibly one for each of them.
 
Just my boomer opinion, but Sony should make a hybrid smartphone/PS4/5P handheld rather than only targeting the gaming enthusiast market.

A device that can actually fit in your pocket.

Cheaper games that are more suited to mobile play and shorter development times.

Can subsidise the high purchase cost through network/isp contracts.

Might not be long before someone else like Apple gives it a shot.
 
Just my boomer opinion, but Sony should make a hybrid smartphone/PS4/5P handheld rather than only targeting the gaming enthusiast market.

A device that can actually fit in your pocket.

Cheaper games that are more suited to mobile play and shorter development times.

Can subsidise the high purchase cost through network/isp contracts.

Might not be long before someone else like Apple gives it a shot.
It being a phone makes no sense. Do you want your phone to be dead because you played a game for a two hour flight? It's not just calls/texts anymore, it's your ID and wallet as well. And before you recommend a power bank, just having a separate phone would be smaller and lighter.

Sony tried doing that minus the working as a phone with the Vita. And people just kept playing the mobile games on their iPhones. Look at the lifetime sales of the DS versus the 3DS. There's a good reason Nintendo no longer makes dedicated handhelds.

And what do you mean by Apple giving this a shot? They already have Apple Arcade which is like PS+ or GamePass. They have AAA games running on current gen iPhones. They only thing they don't offer is non-touchscreen controls. And if you want that, there are many options where you just sit your phone between two controllers and you now have a handheld. But the 99% of people who will never use their phone like that, don't give up the phone form factor.
 
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