PlayStation 6 Backward Compatibility May Have Something to Do With PS5 Pro Limited CPU Improvements

The PlayStation 5 Pro CPU 10% boost over the base model's could have something to do with PlayStation 6 backward compatibility, according to a well-known AMD leaker.

Speaking on X/Twitter, Kepler commented on the limited CPU boost of the upcoming system, saying that it could be related to backward compatibility with the next-generation system. The way Sony handled backward compatibility, Kepler said, is complex and required new hardware to run at the same or higher clock speed even if the new hardware is faster at lower clock speeds. If Sony is using Zen 6 dense cores for the PlayStation 6, they can't target 4GHz and above for the PlayStation 5 Pro as that could break backward compatibility.

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Very little is known about the PlayStation 6. Being far from release, the specs have yet to be finalized, but Sony is planning to make it the most powerful console of its generation. While Microsoft considered other vendors for its next-generation Xbox, Sony is only considering AMD, which is unusual, as for the PlayStation 5, the Japanese company talked with multiple vendors before settling on AMD.

While the PlayStation 6 is still far from release, the PlayStation 5 Pro isn't, as it is rumored to be launching later this year, although it could be delayed to 2025. Among the most notable improvements of the system will be the AI-powered Spectral Super Resolution upscaler.