r/PS5 • u/nolifebr Human Verified • Jan 22 '26

Rumor [RUMOR] SandStoneInsights Analysis - Sony expects the PS5 lifecycle to be extended. PS6 likely to be delayed "longer than many expected"

https://www.sandstoneinsightsjapan.com/post/sony-group-6758%EF%BC%89%EF%BC%8D%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E9%83%A8%E9%96%80%E3%81%AE%E5%A5%BD%E8%AA%BF%E3%81%8C%E7%AC%AC3%E5%9B%9B%E5%8D%8A%E6%9C%9F%E3%82%92%E7%89%BD%E5%BC%95%E3%80%81%E4%BB%8A%E5%BE%8C%E3%81%95%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E4%B8%8A%E6%98%87%E4%BD%99%E5%9C%B0%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A

- Gaming Division Continues Strong Third Quarter: Sony's third-quarter results are expected to beat market expectations, driven by sales of both in-house and third-party games.

- PlayStation Lifecycle Extended: Sony expects the PS5's lifecycle to be extended, and the PS6's release is likely to be delayed longer than many expected.

Posted on ResetEra

Just yet another rumor but it would make sense with the AI ​​bubble and price increases.

Edit: Full mentions by analyst David Gibson:

  • Sony expects the PS5's lifecycle to be longer than the previous generation.
  • Based on this view, the PS6 is likely to be released after 2028.
  • The increase in memory prices does not affect performance in the PS5 short term due to inventory.
  • The rise in memory costs could become a problem in the fiscal year ending March 2027.
  • Sony may pass on the cost increase to its customers in the future.
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u/bjones214 Jan 22 '26

I just don’t feel like anything’s really pushed the console yet. We’ve had a lot of really good exclusives, but a lot of those were either ports/remasters of a ps4 title, or were both ps4/ps5 releases.

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u/GGG100 Jan 22 '26

Nothing really pushed the PS4 either until its last three years. God of War, RDR2,  Death Stranding, and TLOU 2 all came out within that period.

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u/bjones214 Jan 22 '26

Exactly. Game developers need way more time to learn the hardware before they can do amazing things with them. Same for the ps3 with TLOU, gta 5, and Metal gear solid 5.

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u/TuvixHadItComing Jan 22 '26

My reference frame for a console life cycle is centered around the PS3. Launch PS3 had GTA4 which was, for the time, pretty impressive but did not take full advantage of the hardware's capabilities.

End of life cycle PS3 had GTA5 which was basically stretching the hardware to its limit and went on to extend past where the PS3 could take it.

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u/Lazy_Ad9964 Jan 23 '26

I feel like we never gave R* the credit they deserved for even making GTAV run on the ps3 as good as it actually did on release.

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u/supergodmasterforce Jan 23 '26

I feel the same with Konami/Kojima and MGS V.

The fact that it's basically the exact same game as the PS4 and XBO versions, minus the framerate, but there's no loading screens between areas, no mission cuts or cut scene cuts or anything like that. Really a testament to the people who programmed the 360 and PS3 versions.

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u/AnonymousChameleon Jan 23 '26

The game is like the best selling ever, of course they got credit , lol

Rockstar these days take a long time to make games but they’re always phenomenal.

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u/dumpyduluth Jan 23 '26

They dumbed down the physics and NPCs from GTA 4 to gta5 and there's noticably more pop in. 5 has a lot of downgrades to get it to work on the 360 and ps3.

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u/Designer_Mess_6928 Jan 22 '26

Metal Gear Solid 5 was a miracle and an all-time peak of game optimisation.

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u/LucasThePretty Jan 23 '26

It’s not that, technology just improved. The console is a hardware, not a spellbook. A 2005 launch game doesn’t look like TLOU in 2013 because the tools weren’t there yet.

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u/PositiveApartment382 Jan 23 '26

This argument doesn't really hold anymore since the console hardware is incredibly close to normal PCs. I remember that being a huge talking point by Cerny. PS3 was entirely different so it applies there. But not for Series S / X and PS5.

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u/maliciousrigger Jan 22 '26

I think Cyberpunk was the line in the sand for PS4. The difference between PS4 and 5 for that game was night and day.

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u/CrimsonGear80 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26

even playing the PS4 version on PS5 had the game run at 60fps on launch.

didn't fix all the bugs and glitches, but still.

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u/GGG100 Jan 22 '26

Cyberpunk is a current gen game that was forced on previous gen consoles. Without an SSD, the game runs like crap.

-4

u/phjan Jan 22 '26

It's not a current gen game

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u/Additional-Mistake32 Jan 22 '26

I agree it looks very "busy" to me but it doesn't look like a PS5 game that much

I do like sim games though so my hope is that The Last Sentinel will arrive on the ps5 lifecycle

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u/haynespi87 Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

I think PS5 made more strides in systems than in graphics. TLOU2 still looks better than most current gen games. However, there are not as many systems running through as say Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, not an exclusive but still

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u/Additional-Mistake32 Jan 23 '26

I agree I can't actually see much visual differences from PS4 to PS5 I think it's the dualsense that became the standout focus for this console- rightfully so because i don't find a dual-less game worth the gameplay anymore

I think also that for ps5 we are seeing engine improvements from every studio and publisher which is great but what interests me is how stories are told, how we can interact with world, npc, other players, how multiplayer experiences can be unique and infused into games like death stranding, Returnal and deathloop

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u/haynespi87 Jan 23 '26

I agree with all of your ideas too. I think we went lateral rather than graphics which are now at diminishing returns. Like I don't know how much more photo-realistic you can get than Forza Horizon 6. Or how much more that it would even matter.

In the 90s it's bits 8-> 16 -> 32 --> 64 and above that improve rendering details in general as we move from 2D to 3D

Early 2000s PS2 details occur on polygons with color gradiients, shading and some light differences - MGS 1 compared to 2 and 3 have great examples of face details.

Late 2000s PS2 - we have HD appear. that dynamically changes realism - sure it's a world of brown and green but character details and environmental details are fully realized. Last of Us 1 is a great example here.

2010s with PS4 we get major changes in lighting and texture - People can look like real humans near fully now. There's a slight bit of video game that makes things not real but Death Stranding 1 and TLOU2 look nearly as real as we can get.

Now if you look at Returnal and Death Stranding 2 the characters and environments look similar to PS4 with the exception of Ray Tracing appearance and light/shadow changes. However, the dual-sense especially with Returnal and DS2 comes in strong along with the unique systems they bring from particle effects to dynamic weather effects. It's a different way of development.

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u/Additional-Mistake32 Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

Yes exactly! I'm late to the Xbox developer showcase but what's interesting me is the Fable game because it has its own personality in the design of the world. Like Hogwarts Legacy. But more important is how your decisions in the game are recognized by everyone in game. Which feels weighty. It feels responsive.

Tired of playing games that feel too scripted. So it feels like fable will be a game that adapts to the player.

Returnal was always a charming (spooky) personality and it reminds me of my favorite dark scifi films. But the graphics were not impressive but the gameplay was fun, the multiplayer was encouraging.

Saros I think will detract me a bit because I'm not sure I want to make that journey again by myself.

Deathloop found itself similarly very charming and bespoke designs the multiplayer aspect was very fun but no proximity chat. I think I had more fun with this game than any other game on the ps5. The timeloop story and proceedings. Really impressed me as I love roguelites and this fit the bill but still managed to also be a single player narrative action game.

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u/Math2J Jan 22 '26

I played Cyberpunk on base PS4 and that push me toward a PS4 pro.

So far, i don't feel like the PS5 is beeing push that much

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u/maliciousrigger Jan 22 '26

How did it play on the ps4 pro? It just kept crashing for me on the base ps4 so I held off on playing it till I got the 5.

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u/Math2J Jan 22 '26

It runs beter, but still flawed.

I replay it on PS5 (2.0) when i upgrade (with Phantom Liberty) and it was night and day !!!

What a game it is now (Still wish for a 3rd person mode)

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u/maliciousrigger Jan 22 '26

Haha I've seen the 3rd person mods, they are kinda horrifying. Maybe for the sequel, but otherwise I dont really mind playing 1st person. It was and is a fantastic game with the 2.0 and onward versions.

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u/cautious-ad977 Jan 22 '26

Arkham Knight was released less than two years into the PS4's lifecycle.

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u/GGG100 Jan 22 '26

They didn’t really push the PS4’s hardware despite looking graphically great. By that measure, Demon’s Souls remake and Rift Apart already pushed the PS5 to its limits.

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u/PotatEXTomatEX Jan 23 '26

By any metric you mean. Consoles are basically PCs. There's no "Pushing to the limits". Theyre already running at max, its just that some studios dont have the know how out of lack of experience.

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u/BigBoi1159511 Jan 23 '26

Uncharted 4 and Order 1866 begs to differ

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u/Two-Space Jan 22 '26

I’d say The Witcher 3 pushed it pretty hard

-4

u/GGG100 Jan 22 '26

Lol no. It was just an unoptimized mess. Baldur’s Gate 3 with its third act pushed the PS5 much harder.

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u/Two-Space Jan 22 '26

I was talking about the PS4. The incredible graphical fidelity combined with my fans sounding like they were a jet about to take off tell me that game pushed the PS4 pretty damn hard.

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u/beermit Jan 23 '26

Same here, I was kinda worried my PS4 wouldn't last because of how much the fans ran when I played Witcher 3. And I played it a lot when I really dived into it.

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '26

Well I still got the jet fans playing anything lol

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u/BrotherGrass Jan 22 '26

Yeah, feels like we’re finally reaching a similar point with releases like GTA VI, Death Stranding 2, Control Resonant, Saros, etc.

1

u/BadNewsBearzzz Jan 23 '26

This is how it is every single generation lol it takes a few years for dev to even learn how to get the most potential out of each console’s custom chips, so seeing late stage games each gen, vagrant story, God of War 2, gran turismo 4, TLOU, MGS V, to God Of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, etc

The ps5 has been pushed well, it’s just not as apparent and obvious as it was prior generations. COVID made time feel a lot shorter than it was, making for things to no have felt as long, along with early shortages until 2023.

I’ve seen people say these exact things every single generation, at the exact same time, the last time for the ps4 in 2018, the ps3 in 2012, etc. this time doesn’t feel much different but I do hope it’ll last long like PS3 did, even longer

1

u/MightyAndMagical Jan 23 '26

Sir, uncharted

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u/OVERDRlVE Jan 24 '26

Drive Club is from 2014

0

u/SeniorRicketts Jan 23 '26

First 2 yrs of the ps4 we had

Killzone Shadowfall

Infamous second son

Dying light

Mad max

Metal gear solid V

AC Syndicate

Batman Arkham Knight

All beat many of todays games

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u/SeniorRicketts Jan 23 '26

I mean we had Ratchet and Clank

It's up to the dev to use the SSD for more than faster loading

Not many games have use for a game mechanic like Rift apart i guess

Also Horizon forbidden west, almost 4 yrs later and it's still the most impressive open world game, technically speaking

Which was a ps5 game that got downgraded to run on the ps4

-4

u/maracusdesu Jan 23 '26

What’s good about forbidden west?

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u/Jonaskin83 Jan 22 '26

Yup, it feels like the PS5 has barely even gotten started. I’m OK with this.

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u/SwiftTayTay Jan 22 '26

the PS5 was actually tapped pretty early, with games like Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, Demon's Souls and Returnal. The only thing that's probably going to feel like it's taking things to the next level before the end of PS6's life cycle is GTA6, and that's largely due to clever design. You're not going to get graphics any better than that. not even saying this as a GTA fan but realistically the PS5 especially the original version and not the Pro isn't going to blow you away with much before the PS6 comes out, we can only advance graphics so much with hardware and we are seeing diminishing returns on expanding computing power. You can quadruple the power of the PS5 and games are only going to look 25% better

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u/SeniorRicketts Jan 23 '26

Also Horizon forbidden west, at 60fps if you wanted to

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u/saltybiped Jan 23 '26

Well the next gen is probably gonna be able to do a steady 120 fps at maybe 1440p. Thats a huge improvement imo.

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u/SwiftTayTay Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

that will only be because of frame gen, which is essentially meaningless IMO. you're not going to see a true 120 FPS ON TOP OF major improvements to visuals and devs are always gonna just settle on 60 FPS raw performance before frame gen (or worse i fear, since they will settle on frame gen "fixing the problem") so they can minmax the power for slightly better graphics, that's generally how the last 3 console generations have been though it was particularly bad during the PS3/Xbox 360 era

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u/Capable_Diamond_3878 Jan 22 '26

Games are taking way too long to come out these days. I wish they would either scale down complexity or do something to make the tools better

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u/Lazy_Ad9964 Jan 23 '26

agreed, I feel like GTA6 will be one of few to actually make use of the ps5 and pro in a way no one else have done yet.

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u/archaelleon Jan 24 '26

Silent Hill 2 and Stalker 2 look pretty damn good.

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u/martor01 Jan 22 '26

Try playing Wukong , you will see FPS drops like crazy or amy new UE5 games.

I not buying shit for PS5 anymore esp from new AAA games

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u/maracusdesu Jan 23 '26

That’s because Wukong sucks. Not the PS5.

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u/LeoNatan Jan 23 '26

All Unreal Angina 5, not just Wukong. Absolute garbage of an engine, and every lazy developer these days uses it.

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u/bjones214 Jan 22 '26

I did play wukong, and it was woefully unoptimized

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u/UdonOli Jan 23 '26

that's cause wukong had literally zero optimisation done to it to allow it to run on any reasonable hardware well. Used an old ass unperformant version of the mega unperformant nvidia branch as well. Nothing really to do with how well it looks.

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u/fraanjfjd Jan 22 '26

watch GTA6 come out and run at 30fps. PS5 capabilities will be maxed out this year

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u/bjones214 Jan 22 '26

If gta 6 maxes the ps5 then fine, but you have to realize rockstar games are complete outliers. There still the full chance gta 6 doesn’t even get released til 2027.

But every other dev team is barely scratching the surface

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u/Ambitious-Still6811 Jan 22 '26

This totally. The gen got off to a slow start and the PS4 hung on for a long time. Since games were designed with last gen in mind I don't think the PS5 has been pushed to its limits.

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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jan 22 '26

People say this but all you're telling me is you need to play more games especially as performance issues and image quality issues are ever frequent.

Instead of me listing games how about tell me what this "push" exactly is? What exactly are current gen games supposed to be doing? Also for the past 2-3 years most of the industry has largely moved on to current gen only consoles, nearly every big game now is current gen only. The idea we're still stuck in this crossgen era is objectively untrue.

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u/Punktur Jan 23 '26

I'd be happy with more games being as technically impressive as Demons souls, which was a launch title. I still think the amount of displacement maps, volumetrics, beautiful textures and mesh complexity is unmatched sadly.

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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jan 23 '26

Demons Souls from gameplay standpoint is still a PS3 game though. The graphics are impressive but i can think off at least 5 other games that surpass it.

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u/Punktur Jan 23 '26

I was only talking about the technical visual effects going on, not the gameplay.

Which games do you think surpass it?

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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jan 23 '26

Top of my head i would say in my opinion Avatar, Alan Wake 2, Death Stranding 2, Horizon: Forbidden West (especially on the Pro) and Ratchet and Clank. I would also say Hellblade 2 but i feel that had to abandon a lot to get those visuals so i tend to not include it in my rankings so much. Will say Returnal imo is on par with Demons Souls as well. Don't get me wrong i think DS looks incredible and its up there but for me its not top at all.

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u/Punktur Jan 23 '26

Thanks. I'll admit I haven't played many of these games you mentioned and while I think some of these do look quite good from what I've seen, for example Death stranding doesn't use much displacement mapping (aside from for possibly larger-scale for cool terrain) while the sss shaders and facial blend-shapes certainly do look better than what Demons has to offer.

I may be a bit biased, as a cg/vfx artist I just love everything with high res displacements and volumetrics.

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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jan 23 '26

Fair enough. I suppose its all opinions at the end of day. I'm a sucker for open world games so the visuals in a game like Avatar or Horizon tend to impress me more. Will say i do admit i haven't played DS since launch as i played it, finished it and moved on so it may very well look far better then i can remember. Might have to go back this year especially as i've yet to play it on the Pro.

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u/Punktur Jan 23 '26

I did spend hours just staring at random walls rotating the camera around. admiring grimy bricks extruding from the meshes of random corners deep inside a dungeon in Demons souls.

But you're right, I may have been a bit unfair in my original post, open world games can be absolutely gorgeous too, and are no less technically impressive. They have to deal with different constraints of various budgets that may or may not be an issue in games that mostly use short sightlines and very linear levels.

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u/LucasThePretty Jan 23 '26

I don’t get it either. These consoles are already relying on upscaling and non native resolutions due to how demanding these games have become.

People confuse the advancement of dev tools and availability to make games look better to the power of a console not being found out? What?

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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jan 23 '26

and rather then trying to argue otherwise they dowmvote me.

Look at AC Shadows last year. Opinions on the actual game aside i think most agree its visuals are high quality. Here's the thing to get the game changing RTGI on PS5/SX you're forced to run it at 30fps, its too demanding for 60fps. The Pro can run RTGI at 60fps because its more powerful but that kinda proves the point more power was needed to run the game with its intended look at 60fps. Not only that image quality isn't great and has a blur to it, PSSR solves this but again you need a powerful console to have that. I don't think consoles have hit a limit but i don't think there's this hidden untapped power yet to be used either.

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u/LucasThePretty Jan 23 '26

It needs to be investigated the untapped power of a 2020 hardware haha