The PS5 is so popular that shoppers are still clamoring for PS5 restocks six months after launch, but there could be a big change on the way that's worth waiting for.
DigiTimes reports that semiconductor manufacturer TSMC is planning on producing a redesigned PS5 at some point in the second and third quarters of 2022. And it could deliver considerably more power.
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The idea of a redesigned PS5 might seem a little premature given the current PS5 isn’t even a year old yet. But the lack of stock and challenges around semiconductor supply did see Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki suggest stock shortages could be overcome with to electronic product design or finding other supply chain resources,
“For example, we could find maybe [a] second resource [for semiconductors], or by changing design, we could cope with [semiconductor shortages],” said Totoki in Sony's Q4 2021 earnings call transcribed by Seeking Alpha.
It’s unclear whether Totoki is referring to the PS5 here or other electronics, or both. But combined with DigiTimes supply chain sources, the idea of a redesign PS5 doesn't seem far fetched.
PS5 upgraded AMD chip
According to DigiTimes’ sources, the redesigned PS5 could sport new silicon with a “new semi customized” CPU from AMD built on the 6-nanometer process node; the current PS5 uses a 7nm custom octa-core AMD Zen 2 processor.
The move from 7nm to 6nm could see the PS5 deliver a performance boost and make more efficient use of its power. In effect, we could be looking at a PS5 Pro. This wouldn’t be the most unusual thing, as the PS4 Pro followed the PS4 - but that was after three years after the latter’s release in November 2013.
Admittedly, a late 2022 release would mean only a two-year gap between the launch PS5 and a prospective ‘pro’ version. But with semiconductor shortages making it difficult to find the current PS5 and its Digital Edition counterpart, moving to a console built around a different processor fabrication node could see Sony bypass that shortage. That’s assuming that 6nm chip yields could be strong enough to come with prospective demand.
We have no way to verify DigiTimes’ sources, but that’s not stopped our brains from imagining what we’d like to see from the PS5 Pro. An obvious one would be a more compact and less….striking design, perhaps one that can better integrate with existing entertainment units.
More power and increased SSD storage space would also be appreciated as the 825GB of storage on the PS5’s super-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD isn't very spacious for modern games and their large install sizes.
Having said that, we’re only now just seeing the power of the PS5 get put into proper action, with the likes of Returnal really showing what a game can look like and deliver when built specifically for a single platform.
So there’s likely a lot more to be had out of the PS5 before we get an upgraded one. Time will tell if this supply chain leak results in a new games console some 18 months down the line.
