Development of the next-gen consoles from Xbox and PlayStation has reached a major milestone. According to a new report, the chips (processors) for the Xbox Helix and PlayStation 6 have been taped out.
For those unaware, when chips are “taped out”, it means that the final design has been finished and it’s been sent to manufacturers to be built. At this stage, the design phase is all but finished, and it’s on to production. It’s also unlikely for any major changes to take place unless a design flaw is found during manufacturing that requires significant fixes.
All of the Teraflops
According to known hardware leaker KeplerL2, not only have the two console chips been taped out, but we know a bit about their specifications.
In a post on NeoGAF, Kepler claims that the PlayStation 6 will have 40 teraflops of compute while the Xbox Helix will have 56. Teraflops, in simplest terms, measure a console’s raw theoretical computing power and, for gaming, how many polygons it can render. It’s important to note, however, that teraflops measure potential raw compute power, not practical. There are other factors that will determine how well each new system will perform when they’re assembled. So just because one system has more than the other, it doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to perform better.
It is interesting to see the drastic jump in potential compared to current-gen hardware. The PlayStation 5 Pro features 16.7 teraflops, the base PlayStation 5 hits 10.28, Xbox Series X has 12, and the Xbox Series S has 4.
Lastly, despite Kepler’s track record, it’s important to take the specification claims with a grain of salt until they are confirmed by Microsoft or Sony themselves.
When do you think we’ll see the PlayStation 6 or Xbox Helix consoles? Let us know down in the comments and in the official Insider Gaming Discord.
In other news, read about what one former Naughty Dog developer had to say about Amy Hennig’s vision for Uncharted 4 and what it was like working for her. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
More from Mike Straw
2027 release at $1000