According to sources, there's virtually no word about a potential Pro-tier hardware refresh for Sony's PlayStation 5, and instead there's more talk about the PlayStation 6 console. It's no secret that the previous years' silicon shortage led to the slower adoption rates of current-gen gaming hardware, with cross-gen game releases still commonplace even two years after the launch of the PS5.There have been rumors that Sony might be working on some sort of an update for the PS5, of course, but these are yet to materialize in an official capacity. More specifically, some sources claim that this rumored production update wouldn't include meaningful hardware upgrades at all, but would instead be an all-new SKU that would effectively replace the first generation of PlayStation 5 consoles in stores.RELATED: Sony Files Patent for Recording VR GameplayLeaker Tom Henderson has spoken at some length about the purported PlayStation 5 with a detachable drive, and the latest information he's been privy to seems to underline these claims. Specifically, Henderson has said that he's heard more about the PS6 than the PS5 Pro, and he doesn't seem to believe that there will be a "Pro" version of the PlayStation 5 at all. He feels that the new PS5 console would simply be a second generation of the base hardware to reduce Sony's production and shipping costs by a measurable margin.

The alleged second generation of PlayStation 5 would effectively replace the currently available PS5 in most ways, and Sony would only need to maintain a single production SKU, since the disc drive would be available only as an optional accessory. According to Henderson, 2020's PS5 and PS5 digital version will no longer be produced after the new SKU hits the stores, which he believes is going to happen in September 2023.

Now that the PlayStation 5 console shortages are over, it doesn't sound strange that Sony would be looking at ways to optimize its production capacities however it can. Henderson's notion that the base PS5 isn't yet being used to the max makes sense, too, with exclusive current-gen titles still being relatively few and far between.

As for Henderson mentioning PS6 specifically, this doesn't necessarily mean anything on its own. Jason Schreier recently mentioned that major games starting development today would target the PS6, considering just how long current video game production cycles have become, and it's possible that Henderson was referring to hearing similar sentiments from his own sources. Whether there's more to it or not is anyone's guess at this point.

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