Speculation of a PS5 Pro model has been reignited due to a job listing by AMD for a System-on-Chip (SOC) Verification Engineer to be part of “the team behind the chip powering Xbox, PlayStation, and the latest RDNA graphics chip.” While there are rumors saying that this new chip is for the PlayStation 6, a mid-gen upgrade to the PS5 seems more likely.
How the PS5 Pro could be powered by this AMD “next-generation” chip
According to the job listing on LinkedIn (as spotted by Dualshockers), AMD is searching for an engineer to join its team in Markham, Canada “for the next-generation chip development project.” Specifically, the team will be “working on [the] next generation of a complex SOC design.”
Combining this listing with a report on DigiTimes, it seems that Sony is asking its manufacturing partners to begin production of an upgraded PS5 within a year or two. The redesigned console is expected to be both cheaper and easier to produce, which should reduce the unit’s price point and lessen the impact of the chip shortage that has negatively impacted global PS5 sales. So it’s no wonder that some expect this to be the PS5 Pro, though Sony and its partners have not confirmed the report in any way.
According to the report, this updated version of the PS5 will also apparently utilize a new fabrication process by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) featuring the N6 (6 nm) instead of the current N7 technology. TSMC believes that this new process will greatly benefit consumers, as stated on its website:
…[I]ts design rules are fully compatible with TSMC’s proven N7 technology, allowing its comprehensive design ecosystem to be reused. As a result, it offers a seamless migration path with a fast design cycle time with very limited engineering resources for customers not only to achieve the product benefits from the new technology offering but also can significantly reduce customers’ product design cycle time and time-to-market.
It’s unclear if this redesigned chip is for the suspected PS5 Pro, the PS6, or perhaps part of an annual upgrade revision for the PS5. Whether these technical improvements will lead to savings for consumers is difficult to predict, as the PS5 remains one of the prime targets for scalpers.
In other news, new firmware updates for PS3 and PS Vita have disabled PSN account creation, and a new demo for Unreal Engine 5 has showed off how realistic a train station can look.
