PS6 and next gen Xbox could cost over £1,000 based on AMD chip leak

Details have leaked concerning a powerful new AMD chip, which an insider believes is connected to Microsoft’s new Xbox console.

The idea of another console generation might seem premature at this point, considering both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have barely hit their full potential, but the next wave of consoles might only be a couple of years away at this point.

Sony’s PlayStation 6 is expected to arrive in 2027, while Microsoft’s next console could launch even sooner. Both companies have already started talking about their next gen plans, with the latter promising the ‘largest technical leap’ ever seen in a hardware generation.

Those comments will likely end up being classic Microsoft posturing (most people think it’s related to AI) but a leak of a new AMD chip has hinted at what might be under the hood of the next Xbox.

This leak originates from YouTuber Moore’s Law Is Dead, who previously outed specs around the Switch 2. In a new video, he claims to have details about a custom Zen 6 APU (accelerated processing unit) from AMD, codenamed Magnus.

During the video, the YouTuber highlights how the APU has an 384-bit bus, which is used to transfer memory efficiently. As he points out, this is significantly larger than the Xbox Series X’s 320-bit bus, which is the largest on the console market right now – although one was previously used in the Xbox One X.

He also highlights various other powerful components, including an unusual total of 11 CPU cores (split between three Zen6 cores and eight Zen6c cores), while the system on a chip is a large 144mm², which is connected via a bridge die to a ‘massive’ 264mm² graphics die.

According to Moore’s Law Is Dead, this APU is described as a ‘semi-custom business unit’, which is apparently what you would list if you were making an APU for a console. Based on this information, he speculates it could be connected to Sony’s PlayStation 6.

However, fellow tech insider, Kepler, chimed in on this theory on X. In a post, Kepler claimed it is ‘probably’ tied to the next gen Xbox instead, as AMD codenames for PlayStation consoles are often derived from Shakespeare characters (a recent example is Jupiter, which is supposedly connected to a new PlayStation handheld).

‘Yeah, the design in general looks too expensive to be the PlayStation 6,’ Kepler added. ‘[Mark] Cerny is a lot more conservative with die area.’

If the next gen Xbox is using this Magnus APU, Kepler claims the console is ‘not gonna be cheap’ and could be upwards of $1,500 (£1,116).

‘If they go ahead with third party store support which means selling hardware at a profit this could easily be > $1,500,’ they added.

Neither Sony or Microsoft have ever released a console above £1,000 before, but based on the current trajectory of prices, it doesn’t feel entirely unbelievable. The PS5 Pro is already £699.99, so any next gen console will, in theory, cost even more.

The big question is what Sony and Microsoft can offer to justify the inevitably ludicrous price of its next consoles, especially as advancements in graphics have already become a case of splitting frame rate hairs.

Last month, Microsoft confirmed it had signed a multi-year deal with AMD to create chips for a ‘portfolio of devices’, including ‘the next generation of Xbox consoles in your living room and in your hands’.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE: Here’s how you can play Nintendo’s secret online Switch game this month

MORE: Elden Ring creators FromSoftware will have two new games next year claims report

MORE: Call Of Duty 2027 will launch new franchise with martial arts theme says leaker