There have been many reports of Sony seemingly pushing its next-generation console releases to beyond its originally-planned 2027 release window, a new report by Moore’s Law is Dead has once more indicated that the company is sticking to its guns. Along with this, thanks to a new set of leaks, the YouTuber has again shone a spotlight on how Sony is using the PS5’s Power Saver mode as a “Trojan horse” to ensure game compatibility with the rumored PS6 handheld.
In a recreation of a diagram based on Sony’s development kit documentation, Moore’s Law is Dead has noted that Sony has offered advice on how CPU usage can be lowered for Power Saver mode. Compared to the base PS5 mode, which is able to run a game on 13 of its 16 cores, with 2 cores dedicated to operating system functions and one offering “support load”, Power Saver mode is meant to run games on 8 cores, leaving 5 cores unused and 3 cores for system and OS functions.
The latest set of leaks also includes mentions of a new feature for the PS6—PlayGo. Meant to be an answer to the Smart Delivery feature available on current-gen Xbox consoles, allowing players not to have to worry about whether they’re downloading the right version of a game for their console, PlayGo has already been introduced to the PS5’s SDK 13.
“Up until now, devs would have to include PS5 Pro’s higher res textures and higher detail assets in every PS5 download regardless of if a given console was a Pro or not…but no longer,” said a source to Moore’s Law is Dead. “Devs can now specify downloads for PS4 + PS4 Pro, PS5, PS5 Pro, and PS5 Power Saver Mode. Yes, Power Saver Mode is getting its own Asset+Texture Packaging!”
“This would only be done if this ‘mode’ was going to be the entire basis of a new console that might need its own tweaks! You save no energy by using smaller textures.”
Sony has also seemingly been taking steps to make game development for its next-gen consoles cheaper. Among these is a notice that has been sent to developers asking them to slow down on the legacy support for PSN features for PS4 games. While not too many details about this have been revealed, Moore’s Law is Dead has noted that these leaks indicate that the PS6 is “not many years away.”
As is the case with any rumor, it is best to take this latest set with a grain of salt. However, if it is true, it indicates that Sony is taking the challenges behind game development when console generations are transitioned quite seriously. Along with laying the groundwork for PS6 handheld game compatibility through the use of the PS5’s Power Saver mode, the company is also making sure that development teams don’t once more start facing ballooning budgets by recommending cutting down on things like support for previous-gen games’ online features.
For more on the PS6 handheld, take a look at another report indicating that it will be faster than the Xbox Series S. Also, check out what analysts say about the prices of next-gen consoles.
