Highlights
- After talks with Intel failed, Sony signed a contract with AMD for the PS6 chips.
- This continues the Sony-AMD partnership after the PS5 and PS5 Pro.
- Sony reportedly prioritising backward compatibility for the next PlayStation as well.
While the gaming community is still debating the high price tag of the recently launched PS5 Pro, the rumour mill has moved on to the PlayStation 6 (PS6). Multiple rumours have started about a possible Sony-Intel collab breakdown leading to Sony-AMD finally signing papers.
According to a recent report by Reuters, Intel was in talks with Sony to get into designing the chips for the PS6. The tech giant eventually lost the contract to AMD.
Reports suggest that both Intel and AMD reached the final stage of signing contracts with Sony.
AMD, however, secured the deal. AMD has earlier produced custom chips for the PS5 and PS5 Pro.
The report also highlights how this contract would have been a significant step for Intel, as the company has been looking forward to expanding its contract manufacturing business.
The contract “would have amounted to billions of dollars of revenue and fabricating thousands of silicon wafers a month,” two sources revealed while speaking to Reuters.
According to the report, several factors played a part in Sony finally moving ahead with AMD once again. Other than disagreements over profit-sharing with Intel, Sony prioritising backward compatibility is another reason.
It is being said that Intel and Sony engineering raised concerns that a new Intel chipset might complicate things with backward compatibility for PlayStation. It would also reportedly increase the cost and engineering work to ensure older games run on the new hardware.
Backward compatibility is something Sony has kept their focus on for a while now. It allows gamers to easily play older PlayStation titles on newer consoles.
The PS5 supports most PS4 games. It also offers a library of classic PS1, PS2, and PS3 games. This is done via the PlayStation Plus subscription service.
Intel has denied this characterisation.
An Intel spokesperson stated, “We strongly disagree with this characterisation but are not going to comment about any current or potential customer conversations.
“We have a very healthy customer pipeline across our product and foundry businesses, and we are squarely focused on innovating to meet their needs,” the Intel spokesperson further revealed.
As of now, there are no official details about PS6 or any other development at Sony. However, it seems the brand is prioritising backward compatibility again for the next-generation console.
FAQs
Why did Sony choose AMD over Intel for the PS6 chips?
Sony chose AMD over Intel due to concerns about backward compatibility and disagreements over profit-sharing with Intel.
Did Intel comment on losing the PS6 chip contract to AMD?
Answer. Intel disagreed with the characterization of the situation but did not comment on specific customer conversations, emphasizing their focus on innovation. An Intel spokesperson stated, “We strongly disagree with this characterisation but are not going to comment about any current or potential customer conversations.
Why backward compatibility is important for Sony’s PlayStation?
Answer. Backward compatibility is crucial for Sony, allowing gamers to play older PlayStation titles on newer consoles, which influenced their decision to partner with AMD again.
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