Bien que de nombreuses personnes remettent en question le besoin des nouvelles consoles, des améliorations matérielles importantes restent possibles. Les systèmes de dernière génération comme le PS5 supportent déjà 60 images par seconde dans de nombreux titres, mais atteindre des taux de rafraîchissement plus élevés tels que 120 images par seconde reste limité. Certains jeux ont même des difficultés à maintenir les 60 images par seconde en raison des contraintes du processeur, et des titres comme GTA6 pourraient encore mettre en évidence cette limitation. Avec la prochaine génération, les modes de performance pourraient se recentrer sur les 120 images par seconde, tandis que les 60 images par seconde deviendraient le "mode graphique". Le soutien au 4K240 pourrait également être techniquement réalisable dans certains jeux, sous réserve d'un soutien matériel et d'une implémentation par les développeurs.
En ce qui concerne la mémoire, les futures consoles pourraient disposer de 24 à 36 GiB de RAM, permettant des mondes de jeu plus vastes et plus détaillés. Un processeur plus puissant faciliterait également des environnements plus complexes, bien que les priorités des développeurs finissent par déterminer comment ces capacités seront utilisées. Les temps de chargement, déjà améliorés avec les SSD actuels, pourraient doubler davantage avec des processeurs plus rapides et un support PCIe Gen5. Du côté d’Xbox, une compatibilité plus large avec les disques NVMe pourrait remplacer les solutions de stockage propriétaires, offrant un meilleur rapport qualité-prix et des performances améliorées.
Le traçage de rayons représente un autre domaine de croissance. L'équipement actuel a des difficultés avec des techniques exigeantes comme le traçage de chemin, mais les systèmes de nouvelle génération pourraient rendre ces fonctionnalités viables. En outre, Microsoft semble s'orienter vers un modèle hybride PC-console pour son prochain Xbox. Bien que cela puisse offrir des avantages en termes de performance – potentiellement 25 % supérieurs au PS6 – cela pourrait se traduire par un prix nettement plus élevé. Cette approche pourrait également permettre l'accès à des titres exclusifs PC et une meilleure compatibilité descendante, bien qu'elle puisse entraîner des défis tels que la piraterie logicielle.
Enfin, Microsoft pourrait reprendre les projets d’un contrôleur amélioré, apportant potentiellement des fonctionnalités en ligne avec celles du DualSense de Sony. Une telle mise à jour, bien qu’attendue depuis longtemps, améliorerait l’équilibre entre les plateformes concurrentes.
RAM doesn’t determine world size, but rather how many assets can be loaded at once.
The generational leap to SSDs from HDDs brought the biggest real-world improvement in loading times, due to faster access times. Read/write speeds matter less—the difference between a high-end NVMe and a budget SATA SSD is minimal and hard to notice without careful timing. DRAM doesn’t affect load times but can improve write speeds.
Ray tracing’s importance varies by user, but it does impact performance.
For frame rates, there are diminishing returns. The time between frames decreases as follows: 30fps at 33.3ms, 60fps at 16.6ms, 100fps at 10ms, and 120fps at 8.33ms. With VRR becoming more common on TVs, gameplay will feel smoother as long as developers avoid large FPS swings.
Yes, but being able to load more assets at once means fewer constraints on developers.
From my experience, the difference in framerate is very noticeable between 60fps and 120fps when using a mouse. It might be less noticeable with a controller.
I don’t think people fail to recognize the need for newer, more powerful, and efficient hardware. The issue is that they don’t see a reason to upgrade yet.
Personally, I won’t upgrade my base PS5 until around 2030. Games already run and look good enough for my standards, and with a PS5 and a Switch 2, I can play all the games I want.
Most people don’t prioritize high frame rates, and larger game worlds would increase development costs, potentially raising prices for consumers. That’s not the direction Sony should take. They should focus on managing development expenses before upgrading hardware.
As for Xbox, aside from a few users, the majority will likely play on PlayStation.
Sony and Microsoft should remember that console gaming has traditionally been an inexpensive, low-friction way for mainstream audiences to get into gaming.
If you compared a game at medium settings rendered in 1080p and upscaled to 4K with a stable 30fps to the same game at ultra settings rendered in native 4K running at 60fps, most gamers would barely notice a difference. The latter setup requires significantly more processing power, yet most people would only perceive it as slightly more detailed, clearer, and smoother.
That’s why I think Sony and Microsoft should wait another five years or so before replacing hardware. They should hold off until the benefits are obvious and the hardware is affordable, rather than pushing upgrades that most people won’t fully appreciate.
They might be making a mistake by not keeping costs down enough. Microsoft in particular seems to be aiming for a very high price, which could result in limited sales.
Framerates:
While 120 FPS would be a nice addition, 60 FPS is already smooth enough for most players. On PC, only those with high-end GPUs consistently achieve 120+ FPS, while the majority of users get 60–90 FPS at 1080p or 1440p in modern games, which are comparable to console titles. Budget hardware can run older games at 120 FPS, but for consoles to deliver high frame rates, the next generation would likely cost $1,000 or more.
Bigger Worlds:
This isn’t an issue, as seen with games like AC Valhalla and Odyssey, which feature massive worlds on current hardware. The real challenge is making these worlds feel alive and meaningful rather than filled with repetitive content. Since games only load assets within the player’s view, worlds can be virtually limitless with proper programming. The main constraints are storage capacity and development time.
Faster Load Times:
On PlayStation, load times depend more on developer optimization than hardware limitations. Titles like Spider-Man 2, Death Stranding 2, and Ghost of Yotei have near-instant loading due to efficient optimization. While a next-gen SSD could offer minor improvements, only poorly optimized games would see noticeable benefits, and most players wouldn’t perceive a difference.
Better Ray Tracing:
Path tracing may be available on the PS6 as a graphical option locked to 30 FPS. For most games targeting 60 FPS in performance mode, standard ray tracing will likely be common, but full path tracing will remain limited to fidelity modes unless consoles reach a $1,000+ price point.
The Next Xbox:
As a developer, I can clarify that Sony can prevent its games from running on the new Xbox hybrid console. Each component has specific hardware IDs, and Sony could configure their games to detect and block those IDs, similar to how some Steam games restrict access to devices other than the Steam Deck.
Bigger worlds are not an issue and haven’t been since the PS4. Games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Odyssey demonstrate that massive worlds are achievable on current hardware. The real challenge is for developers to make these worlds feel alive and meaningful rather than filled with repetitive content.
Looking at titles such as Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Fallout 3, New Vegas, Oblivion, Far Cry 3, and Grand Theft Auto 5, it’s clear that large open worlds have been feasible since the PS3 era without requiring new hardware.
The current game sizes are more than enough. What we need now are worlds that feel alive, are enjoyable to explore, and give us a reason to do so. I’d rather uncover everything in Clock Town from Majora’s Mask than wander through a town in Assassin’s Creed.
People have different preferences regarding framerates. I prefer playing at 100+ fps over 60fps, to the extent that I often skip games entirely if I can’t achieve the framerate I want, usually because the game is hard-locked at 60.
The new Xbox will have unique hardware IDs for each component. Sony could configure their games to detect these IDs and prevent the game from launching, similar to how some Steam games currently operate. For instance, certain games permit the Steam Deck but block other Linux systems by verifying if the hardware matches the Steam Deck’s IDs.
Although Sony might attempt this with games released after the new Xbox launch, modders will likely find ways to bypass such restrictions. Alternatively, they could choose not to release the game on PC at all.
Sony will most likely continue releasing games on PC.
I suspect the new Xbox will operate similarly to Windows S mode, preventing system-level changes like hardware ID spoofing.
I do think people will find a way to install standard Windows or Linux on it, but at that point, it would no longer be an Xbox.
I hope the next consoles offer better cooling systems and make maintenance easier. I’m tired of dealing with thermal paste or liquid metal, having to remove fans to access heatsinks, and worrying about breaking components that could render the console useless.
None of the things you mentioned justify a $500 to $1000 cost for an entirely new generation.
Be like the PS2.
We can expect some improvements, but they will likely be minimal. The PS6 and next Xbox might be the first generation where the upgrades are hardly noticeable.
Moving forward, the industry should prioritize VR, where there is still significant room for enhancement. However, that would require prioritizing innovation over profit.
If you think the PS6 will be £600, think again. I expect it will be nearly £800 without a disc drive.
$600 for a digital edition might be a bit optimistic.
It would be great to see gameplay elements that truly distinguish consoles from PCs, as they currently feel like mid to low range computers. The PS5 controller’s shoulder buttons were a nice innovation, but I hope to see more advancements like that.
Some games will likely take advantage of the PS6 controller, similar to how PS5 exclusives used the DualSense.
As for exclusives that offer unique gameplay not available on PC, there probably won’t be any.
Most real innovation in gameplay is happening on PC.
It’s also very difficult for new competitors to challenge Sony directly in the console market, so they don’t feel much pressure to innovate. Sony hasn’t faced serious competition since the “TV, TV, TV” era.
At this point, Sony can rely on third-party developers to create the games people want to play—even Microsoft now releases games for PlayStation.
I agree, which is why I switched to PC. The experience is nearly identical now.