The PlayStation 6 could offer similar performance to the RTX 5090, roughly 3x the power of the PS5

The expected performance level of the new consoles is a point of immense speculation in every console cycle. As we approach the end of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, rumors are emerging about the performance we can expect from the upcoming generation.

Popular leaker "Moore's Law Is Dead" has recently made a series of claims about the performance level of the upcoming consoles, particularly the PlayStation 6. The leaker's information apparently comes courtesy of "leaked internal documents" from AMD. Since AMD will power both the PlayStation 6 and the next-gen Xbox, it is plausible to estimate their performance based on this.

According to the leak, traditional rasterized performance is likely to triple compared to current-generation consoles. While this may sound like a big jump, it is actually quite modest compared to what previous generations offered. However, it seems rasterization isn't the main focus of next-generation consoles, since the leak mentions a 6x to 12x increase in ray tracing performance on the PS6 compared to the PS5.

If we were to take this leak at face value, a 12x increase in ray tracing performance would put the PlayStation 6 in the same performance bracket as the RTX 5090, a $2000 graphics card. That level of performance seems less plausible given key factors such as pricing, but it would not be out of the realm of possibility for the PS6 to match the overall performance of the RTX 4080.

So, with a 3x increase in rasterized performance and a 6-to-12x increase in ray tracing performance over the PS5, the PlayStation 6 is looking quite strong. However, this leak must be taken with a grain of salt. Plans for console design are prone to rapid changes because manufacturers have to meet a price target. We recently saw Sony raise the price of the PS5, and with the global DRAM shortage in full swing, the plans for the PS6 are unlikely to be set in stone at this point.

Nevertheless, industry experts expect the next generation of consoles to launch in late 2027 or early 2028. It also wouldn't be out of the question for Sony or Microsoft to raise the prices of their base consoles, given the current tech climate.