Leaked info hints PlayStation 6 may feature AMD Orion APU with RDNA 5 and Zen 6 cores

Leaked details reveal PS6 could feature AMD's Orion APU with impressive RDNA 5 and Zen 6 cores, promising improved performance.

: Upcoming PlayStation 6 is rumored to incorporate AMD Orion APU with RDNA 5 and Zen 6 cores, enhancing processing power. Leaked specs suggest it will feature 40-48 RDNA 5 Compute Units and eight Zen 6 cores, enhancing performance while reducing power consumption. The PS6's use of GDDR7 memory indicates a focus on higher bandwidth and reduced latency, potentially tripling rasterization performance over the PS5. Rumors also speculate on a PS6 handheld featuring Canis APU with LPDDR5X-7500 memory, aiming for high efficiency at a 15W TBP.

Recent leaks suggest that Sony's upcoming PlayStation 6 may feature a powerful custom AMD APU, codenamed “Orion,” built on Zen 6 CPU cores and RDNA 5 GPU architecture. The chip is said to include eight Zen 6 cores and between 40–48 Compute Units running above 3 GHz. Although the CU count may be slightly lower than that of the PS5 Pro, the new architecture promises higher performance per unit, with a significant boost in both rasterization and ray tracing capabilities. The system may support GDDR7 memory with a 160–192-bit bus, offering bandwidth between 640 GB/s and 768 GB/s.

Performance expectations position the PS6 at roughly 3× the rasterization power of the PS5 and about double that of the PS5 Pro. Ray tracing performance may scale even higher, possibly 6–10× beyond existing PS5 capabilities. These performance levels could place the PS6 near the Nvidia RTX 4080 in terms of real-time graphics output, though comparisons across architectures remain nuanced. Reports suggest that Sony is aiming to balance high-end performance with reduced power consumption and costs.

Sony reportedly chose AMD again due to AMD's efficient support for backward compatibility. The PS6 is expected to be compatible with both PS5 and PS4 libraries, simplifying the transition for developers and players. Production for the PS6 could begin by mid-2027, with a market launch slated for late 2027 or early 2028. Pricing is expected to align with previous console launches, likely around $499 USD.

Alongside the PS6, a new PlayStation handheld device—codenamed “Canis” or “Robin Plus”—is also part of the leaked roadmap. This device is rumored to use a 3nm monolithic APU with four Zen 6C cores and 12–20 RDNA 5 CUs, targeting around 15W total board power. It is designed to deliver up to half the raster performance of a PS5 while excelling in ray tracing and AI-based upscaling, with features like M.2 storage, microSD, haptics, touch input, USB-C charging, and display output.

These details stem from a 2023 AMD presentation highlighted by leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead. While specifications could change as Sony finalizes its design, this is the most comprehensive glimpse so far into the PlayStation 6’s likely hardware foundation—centered on cutting-edge CPU, GPU, and memory technologies for the next generation of console gaming.

Sources: TechSpot, Wccftech, Tweaktown, Polygon, Tom’s Guide, The Verge

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