Besides the PS5 Pro, gamers also have great interest in the future of next-generation consoles, especially the PS6 and, of course, the next Xbox, which is starting to reveal some of its details.
The next Xbox e Microsoft is already generating interest, although it is not expected for several years. This demonstrates that manufacturers plan well in advance. In this context, details are emerging on what could be the central element of the American giant’s future console. With a clever enough plan to overtake its main competitor: Sony.
An Xbox ahead to overtake the PS6 but…
It is important to take the following information with caution, which remains at the level of rumors. According to a recent video from RedGamingTech, a well-known hardware YouTuber, the release schedule for Microsoft’s next Xbox has undergone significant changes since documents were leaked by the FTC earlier this year. According to its sources, the console would be launched in 2026 and equipped with a Zen 5 processor, contrary to information in the documents which mentioned a Zen 6 CPU. The sixth iteration of the Zen architecture would not be ready for this date.
The reason Microsoft plans to launch the next generation of Xbox before the PlayStation 6 apparently has to do with its desire to set trends for the next generation of consoles, as it successfully did for the Xbox 360 generation. less powerful than the competition, this strategy would make the console less expensive than the PlayStation 6 and allow Microsoft to subsequently offer a more efficient hardware version. It’s not yet clear whether Microsoft will offer two models of its next console, but rumors suggest a cloud gaming-focused model would cover that segment of the market, which would make sense given the company’s focus. company on Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming.
Zen 5, Zen 6, what does all this mean?
The term Zen refers to a series of processor architectures developed by AMD, a company well known in the technology world for its processors and graphics cards. To put it simply, a processor’s architecture is like the design blueprint that defines how it works and processes information.
Each generation of Zen architecture brings improvements over the previous one, whether in terms of speed, energy efficiency, or the ability to handle multiple tasks at once. Currently the architecture that dominates 2023 at AMD is Zen 4. Zen 5, which would power the next Xbox console, should arrive during the year 2024 (first half) and Zen 6 somewhere between 2025 and 2026. Zen 6 is expected to use 3nm and 2nm process technologies, aiming for a 10% increase in IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) compared to Zen 5.
IPC is a measure of a processor’s performance. It indicates the average number of instructions that a processor can execute per clock cycle. A 10% increase means that Zen 6 would be able to execute 10% more instructions per clock cycle compared to its predecessor, Zen 5. This translates to better performance, as the processor can accomplish more of tasks in the same time interval.
And compared to current consoles and the future PS6?
Here is a summary of the different architectures depending on the consoles:
- The Xbox Series X is powered by a custom processor that uses AMD’s Zen 2 architecture.
- The PS5 is based on the same principle. A custom processor architecture based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture
- The PS5 Pro, although very mysterious, would be based on a Zen 4 architecture according to the latest rumors. Others, however, always mention a Zen 2 architecture.
- The next next-gen Xbox console would therefore be in Zen 5
- The PS6 would benefit from a longer development time with a Zen 6 architecture.