That's completely possible (and I remember the PS5 no RT thing coming from that Github doc but only the most hardened of fanboys tried acting like that part was true; logical assumption was that RT wasn't tested therefore no need to list it in the specifications). But here's the other half of the coin: the vast majority of early adopters are hardcore and core console gamers...the very same types that often frequent forums like this, and watch the rumor/leak videos on these next-gen systems.
So no, all this stuff isn't reaching Suzan or Timothy who work at the office, but then again, Suzan and Timothy usually aren't the early adopters. It's people like "TehPowah3293", who posts their gaming rig and hangs out online talking about games, hardware, graphics etc. . And to those types, these rumors/leaks (and the narratives that form around them) matter.
If you want proof, look no further back than late 2012/2013 when those terrible XBO rumors/leaks started popping up. Was MS being quiet because they had some master ace card up their sleeve to play at just the right moment? Or were they quiet because they knew on some level that stuff was true and they were looking for an opportunity to frame it to their advantage?
We saw what they did and we know what happened afterwards.
Now I'm not saying Sony's in anywhere near that type of situation; other than a potential power deficit all else surrounding PS5 is relatively positive (and even the power deficit, if it turns out true, isn't too big a deal at least for me personally. And Sony could be clever in how they address it by indirectly addressing it). However, just like MS back then, Sony's just kind of...staying quiet and not debunking anything, when they know the people talking about this stuff are more or less the first to buy these new systems. So that at least tells me that Sony might be conceding to these things being true, and they're just waiting for the opportunity to frame the discussion in a way that mitigates the deficit as a talking point.
If I were Sony in such a position, that opportunity would be the PS Meeting next month, and I'd simply put out some damn good-looking gameplay footage showing off hardware power and clever artistic talent of 1st-party studios. Let the games do the talking. MS's done a lot of good with XSX so far but they've yet to show an actual in-game play segment (probably because they're waiting until E3). If Sony comes out at PS Meeting with, say, a live playable demo of GT8 on a near-final PS5 retail unit, controller visible, and it's visually stunning, then they don't HAVE to talk about the specs. They can simply shift the narrative to gameplay showing off the visuals. It's a clever way to turn a potentially negative bullet point (hardware power vs. XSX) into a positive.
But this idea that Sony's got some McGuffin of a super-powerful, super-hidden hardware beast just waiting around to "gotcha" Microsoft...I think it's time to give up that fantasy. Patterns are playing out for Sony right now the same way they did for Microsoft going back late 2012 into 2013. The big benefit in Sony's case is they aren't shooting themselves in the foot with absolute dogshit decisions in ill-informed "TV TV TV, hey did we mention we have a Halo TV series in the works (that never came out)! $150 Kinect albatross camera!!!" messaging.
So overall, the narrative for Sony and PS5 right now is nowhere near as bad as things were for Microsoft and XBO leading into the start of this generation. But right now, in terms of hardcore/core gamers and early adopters, who do factor hardware power into the mix, it seems like MS has the advantage and it's very likely going to remain that way. But as we all know, power isn't the only thing that matters and that's where we're more or less certain Sony will excel and where many are very curious/interested to see Microsoft truly get competitive in again.
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