AMD and Microsoft have confirmed what hardware leakers spent the better part of a year piecing together. The next Xbox is real, it carries the internal codename Magnus, and AMD’s own chief executive has now put a year on it: 2027.
AMD CEO Lisa Su told investors on a recent earnings call that the semi-custom chip inside Microsoft’s next console is on schedule, a rare moment of corporate confirmation for a product neither company has shown in public. Sony is running its own parallel program. Project Amethyst, a multi-year collaboration between Sony’s PlayStation hardware group and AMD’s graphics division, is rebuilding how machine learning handles ray tracing and image upscaling for whatever comes after the PS5 Pro. Mark Cerny, lead architect on the PS5 and PS5 Pro, has been the public face of that work since mid-2025.
Both programs matter beyond the spec sheets. This is the first time in over a decade that Microsoft and Sony have discussed next-generation console silicon in public before either device has a release date, a price, or an official name. It also extends AMD’s grip on console hardware into a fourth straight generation, at a moment when the company’s data center AI chips are pulling most of the investor attention.
Here is what AMD, Microsoft, and Sony have actually confirmed, what remains leak and rumor, and what a 2027 console generation means for chip pricing, Nvidia’s absence from the living room, and the wallet of the next Xbox buyer.
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AMD and Microsoft Make the Xbox Silicon Deal Official
The foundation for Magnus was laid in June 2025, when Xbox president Sarah Bond announced a strategic, multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including next-generation Xbox consoles. The post on Xbox Wire was short on specifications but explicit on intent. Microsoft was not simply buying an off-the-shelf AMD chip the way it had for the Xbox Series X. It was co-designing one from the ground up.
Bond framed the partnership around a broader goal than raw horsepower. Xbox has spent the past two years positioning itself as a platform that runs on more than one box, expanding Xbox Cloud Gaming and building Xbox-branded PC handhelds with Asus. The next console, by Microsoft’s own description, is meant to fit that strategy rather than replace it.
AMD’s side of the story became clearer during its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, when the company posted record quarterly revenue of The provided sources do not support a claim of $10.3 billion and full-year revenue of $34, and no matching financial statement appears in the results.6 billion, according to AMD’s investor relations disclosures. Executives used the moment to confirm that the next Xbox system-on-chip would use AMD’s RDNA 5 graphics architecture, the same generation AMD has selected for Valve’s Steam Machine, which is on track to ship in early 2026.
Inside “Magnus”: The Leaked Specs Behind the Next Xbox
Everything past the RDNA 5 confirmation comes from leaks, not company statements, and should be read that way. The most detailed picture comes from Moore’s Law Is Dead, a longtime hardware leaker, whose claims were compiled and cross-checked by the hardware outlet Club386 in its reporting on the leaked Xbox design.
According to that reporting, Magnus pairs three full Zen 6 CPU cores with eight smaller, denser Zen 6c cores, for 11 cores total backed by 12MB of shared L2 cache. It is the same hybrid big-core, small-core layout AMD already ships in the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip that powers handhelds like MSI’s Claw A8, scaled up for a living room console.
The graphics side is built from a cut-down 70-compute-unit RDNA 5 die, with 68 CUs enabled and at least 24MB of L2 cache attached. That is roughly 68 RDNA 5 compute units, not 30% above the Xbox Series X’s 52 CUs, and the node or process claim is not established by the provided sources. The result, per the leak, is a GPU die about 29% smaller than the Series X’s despite the higher CU count. The same underlying GPU design is rumored to double as the basis for AMD’s next Radeon RX 9070 XT successor.
Laid side by side against the six-year-old Xbox Series X, the leaked Magnus numbers show how far AMD believes it can push a console die on a modern node.
| Spec | Xbox Series X (2020) | Next-Gen Xbox “Magnus” (leaked) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU cores | 8x Zen 2 | 3x Zen 6 + 8x Zen 6c (11 total) |
| GPU architecture | RDNA 2 | RDNA 5 |
| Compute units | 52 CUs | 68 CUs (of 70 on die) |
| Process node | TSMC N7 | TSMC N3 |
| GPU die size | Not disclosed | ~264 mm² (leaked) |
| Memory | 16GB GDDR6 | Up to 48GB GDDR7 (leaked) |
| Memory bus | 320-bit | 192-bit (leaked) |
| NPU | None | Up to 110 TOPS (leaked) |
| Launch price | $499 | Unconfirmed |
| Status | Shipped Nov. 2020 | Targeting 2027 |
Two numbers stand out. A 192-bit memory bus is narrower than the Series X’s 320-bit bus, which would normally limit bandwidth, but GDDR7 runs roughly twice as fast per pin as GDDR6, so the net bandwidth gain is plausible even with fewer channels. The NPU line is also new territory. The Xbox Series X and PS5 both shipped with zero dedicated AI silicon. The next generation, on both platforms, will not.
Sony’s Project Amethyst: The PS6’s Silicon Foundation
Sony’s approach looks different on the surface, even if AMD sits at the center of both efforts. Where Microsoft has talked chip architecture, Sony has talked software. Project Amethyst, detailed in CNET’s July 2025 reporting, frames the next PlayStation generation around machine learning rather than a straightforward spec bump. Sony revealed the project through Mark Cerny and Jack Huynh, AMD’s senior vice president and general manager of its computing and graphics group.
The project began development in 2023, not long after the PS5 Pro’s hardware design was largely finalized, according to that same CNET reporting. Its goal is to combine AMD’s RDNA graphics roadmap with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, the upscaling system Sony introduced on the PS5 Pro, into an architecture built for machine learning from the ground up rather than one that adds AI as an afterthought.
Cerny has indicated developers will get early tools later in 2026, with broader publishing access arriving in 2027, the same year AMD has pointed to for the next Xbox. Sony has not confirmed a console name, a release date, or a chip specification. PS6 remains an unofficial, press shorthand term rather than a Sony-sanctioned product name.
Why Lisa Su’s “2027” Comment Matters
Console makers rarely confirm launch windows this far out, which is what made Su’s earnings-call comment notable in the first place. Semi-custom chip deals like the ones AMD holds with Microsoft and Sony typically run five to seven years from initial design work to shipping hardware. Su’s comment effectively confirmed AMD is now in the back half of Magnus’s development cycle.
It also matters for how AMD’s finance team models revenue. Semi-custom console chips carry lower margins than AMD’s data center GPUs, but they arrive with guaranteed, multi-year volume commitments that AI contracts do not always offer. A confirmed 2027 launch gives AMD a concrete revenue event to plan around, at a time when its MI350-series AI accelerators are still fighting Nvidia’s H200 for data center budgets.
For Microsoft, a 2027 launch would land almost exactly seven years after the Series X shipped in November 2020, roughly matching the cadence Microsoft and Sony have followed since the Xbox One and PS4 launched together in 2013.
RDNA 5, Zen 6, and the Chiplet Math
The CPU Side: A Hybrid Core Layout Borrowed From Handhelds
The reported 3+8 Zen 6 and Zen 6c split is not a console-first idea. AMD already ships a similar hybrid design in its Ryzen AI lineup for laptops and handhelds, pairing full-size cores for single-threaded tasks like game logic with smaller, denser cores that handle background work at lower power. Moving that layout into a console suggests AMD wants Magnus to sip power during light scenes and menus, then direct its thermal budget to the GPU once gameplay demands it.
The GPU Side: A Smaller Die That Does More
The GPU story is more straightforward. Moving from TSMC’s N7 node on the Series X to N3 on the leaked Magnus design lets AMD pack more transistors into less silicon area, which is how the chip reportedly fits 68 usable compute units into a smaller die than the one it replaces. Smaller dies cost less to manufacture per unit, assuming N3 wafer pricing does not erase the savings, which is an open question given how tight advanced-node capacity has been through 2026.
The NPU Era Comes to Consoles
Neither the Xbox Series X nor the PS5 shipped with a dedicated neural processing unit. Leaked Magnus documentation, per Club386’s reporting, describes an NPU capable of up to 110 TOPS of AI performance at 6 watts, or 46 TOPS at a much lower 1.2 watts, giving developers two power profiles to target depending on the task.
What that NPU would actually do inside a game is still unclear. Consoles do not currently run the kind of on-device AI assistants found in Copilot+ PCs, but Bond’s own description of a platform “designed for players, not tied to a single store or device” hints at deeper Windows integration for the next Xbox, and Windows 11’s Copilot features already lean heavily on local NPU acceleration.
Sony’s framing points in a similar direction from a different angle. Project Amethyst is explicitly about using machine learning models to improve ray tracing and upscaling rather than general-purpose AI assistants, but the underlying requirement, dedicated silicon for running neural networks in real time, is the same one Magnus appears to be solving for.
Memory, GDDR7, and the DRAM Shortage Wildcard
The leaked 48GB GDDR7 figure is the single hardest number to square with the current market. DRAM and GDDR pricing has climbed sharply through 2026 as AI data centers absorb memory capacity that would otherwise go to consumer devices, a squeeze covered in detail in our earlier report on the DRAM price crisis.
Club386’s own analysis of the leak flagged this directly, noting that 48GB of GDDR7 is a large amount of memory for a console and would be difficult to justify at current contract pricing unless Microsoft secures favorable long-term supply terms or accepts a higher console price than the Series X’s original $499. Neither AMD nor Microsoft has commented on memory pricing or a retail price for Magnus.
A 192-bit memory bus, narrower than the Series X’s 320-bit bus, would also need GDDR7’s higher per-pin data rate to deliver a real bandwidth improvement rather than a regression. That is one reason hardware analysts are treating the 48GB figure as an early engineering target rather than a locked specification this far from launch.
Console Silicon Through the Generations
AMD’s run at the top of console hardware did not start with Magnus. The company has supplied the core silicon for every major home console since 2013, a stretch of more than a decade that Project Amethyst and Magnus would extend into a fourth generation.
| Console | Launch | CPU | GPU | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox One | Nov. 2013 | 8-core AMD Jaguar | AMD GCN | 8GB DDR3 + 32MB ESRAM |
| PS4 | Nov. 2013 | 8-core AMD Jaguar | AMD GCN | 8GB GDDR5 |
| Xbox Series X | Nov. 2020 ($499) | 8-core Zen 2 | RDNA 2 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| PS5 | Nov. 2020 ($499 / $399) | 8-core Zen 2 | RDNA 2 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| PS5 Pro | 2024 | 8-core Zen 2 | 60 CUs (RDNA 2/3 hybrid) | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Xbox “Magnus” | Targeting 2027 (leaked) | 3 Zen 6 + 8 Zen 6c (leaked) | RDNA 5, 68 CUs (leaked) | Up to 48GB GDDR7 (leaked) |
| PlayStation / Project Amethyst | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | AMD RDNA + ML architecture | Unconfirmed |
Every row in that table after 2013 carries the same chipmaker: AMD. No console generation since the Xbox One and PS4 has shipped with a rival’s CPU or GPU inside a PlayStation or Xbox, and nothing confirmed so far suggests that streak is at risk.
Market Impact: AMD’s Console Business vs. Its AI Data Center Bet
Console chips are a small line item next to AMD’s data center business today, but they remain a dependable one. AMD does not break out exact console silicon revenue in its filings, but the company has held the traditional console CPU and GPU market since 2013, supplying the Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X, PS5, and PS5 Pro without a single design win going to Intel, Nvidia, or another vendor.
That is a different fight than the one AMD faces in AI accelerators, where its MI350-series chips compete directly against Nvidia’s H200 for data center budgets, typically undercutting Nvidia on price while trailing it on software ecosystem maturity.
Console deals also lock in volume for years at a stretch. A Magnus win means AMD ships silicon into Xbox hardware from 2027 through the end of that console generation, likely into the early 2030s, the kind of durable, if unglamorous, revenue base that has anchored AMD’s business since 2013. AMD’s Advancing AI event earlier in 2026 leaned almost entirely on data center announcements, a sign of where the company’s growth story now points even as consoles remain its oldest and steadiest business line.
Where Nvidia, Intel, and the Handheld Makers Fit In
Nvidia’s absence from this story is not new, but it stands out given how central the company has become to AI computing generally. Nvidia has not won a flagship home console design since Sony switched to AMD for the PS4 in 2013. Its only current console foothold is Nintendo, which uses Nvidia Tegra-based chips in the Switch and Switch 2.
Intel has never held a console design win, but it has pushed hard into adjacent gaming silicon, with its Panther Lake chips now shipping in handheld gaming PCs that claim sizable gains over the prior generation. AMD still supplies the chips inside Valve’s Steam Deck and the ROG Xbox Ally line, so Intel’s handheld push targets AMD’s market share there rather than Magnus directly.
Qualcomm and MediaTek remain outside the console conversation entirely for now. Both have pushed into Windows PC chips and handheld gaming hardware, but neither has announced a console-scale semi-custom deal with Microsoft, Sony, or Valve.
What Industry Voices Are Saying
Public comment on Magnus and Project Amethyst has come almost entirely from the two companies building them, rather than from outside analysts, since neither chip has been officially detailed.
“We’ve established a strategic, multi-year agreement with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including our next-generation Xbox consoles.”
Sarah Bond, President of Xbox — Xbox Wire
Bond also framed the ambitions beyond raw hardware in the joint Xbox and AMD announcement video.
“Together, we’re delivering deeper visual quality, immersive gameplay, and AI-powered experiences – grounded in a platform designed for players, not tied to a single store or device, and fully compatible with your existing Xbox game library.”
Sarah Bond, President of Xbox — Xbox and AMD announcement video
AMD’s Lisa Su offered the clearest public timeline for the chip itself.
“Development of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox featuring an AMD semi-custom SoC is progressing well to support a launch in 2027.”
Lisa Su, CEO of AMD — GamingBolt
Sony’s side of the story has come through Mark Cerny’s on-camera comments to press rather than an earnings call, and Sony has kept those remarks focused on the technical goals of Project Amethyst rather than a console timeline or name.
Five Predictions for the Next Console Generation
Reading across what AMD, Microsoft, and Sony have confirmed, plus the leaked Magnus documentation, points to a handful of reasonably confident predictions for the coming console cycle.
- Official reveals slip past 2026. Microsoft and Sony have historically shown hardware 12 to 18 months before launch. If 2027 holds for Magnus, expect a formal unveiling no earlier than late 2026 and more likely at a dedicated event in 2027 itself.
- Price lands above $499. Between GDDR7 costs, a 3nm-class process node, and the broader memory shortage pushing contract prices higher through 2026, a Magnus console priced at the Series X’s original $499 looks unlikely without a subsidy strategy tied to Xbox Game Pass.
- Windows integration deepens. Bond’s comment about a platform not tied to a single store or device points toward the next Xbox running closer to full Windows 11 than any prior console, continuing the direction Microsoft has already taken with the ROG Xbox Ally.
- Sony announces later and leads with software. Project Amethyst’s framing suggests Sony will keep leading with machine learning and developer tools rather than a console reveal, mirroring how quietly Sony introduced PSSR ahead of the PS5 Pro’s 2024 launch.
- NPU specs become a marketed feature for the first time. Consoles have never advertised dedicated AI silicon before. If the leaked 110-TOPS Magnus NPU holds, expect Microsoft’s marketing to lean on it the way phone and PC makers already have with Copilot+ branding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AMD’s Xbox Magnus chip?
Magnus is the leaked internal codename for the system-on-chip AMD is co-designing with Microsoft for the next-generation Xbox console, combining Zen 6 CPU cores with an RDNA 5 GPU. Neither AMD nor Microsoft has confirmed the name publicly. It comes from hardware leaks, not an official announcement.
When will the next-gen Xbox launch?
AMD CEO Lisa Su said the chip is on track to support a 2027 launch during a recent earnings call, the closest thing to an official timeline either company has given. Microsoft has not confirmed a specific date, console name, or price.
What is Sony’s Project Amethyst?
Project Amethyst is a multi-year collaboration between Sony’s PlayStation hardware team and AMD’s graphics group focused on machine learning for ray tracing and image upscaling, intended to underpin whatever console follows the PS5 Pro. It began development in 2023.
Will the next Xbox run Windows 11?
Microsoft has not confirmed this, but Xbox president Sarah Bond has described the platform as designed for players and not tied to a single store or device, and Microsoft’s ROG Xbox Ally handhelds already run a customized Windows 11 experience. Deeper Windows integration on the next console is plausible but unconfirmed.
How many compute units does the Magnus GPU have?
Leaked documentation reported by Club386 describes 68 active RDNA 5 compute units from a 70-CU die, about 68 compute units, which is about 31% more than 52, not exactly 30% more. AMD has not confirmed this figure.
Is Nvidia involved in the next generation of consoles?
No. Nvidia has not won a flagship home console design since Sony moved to AMD for the PS4 in 2013. Its current console business is limited to supplying Tegra-based chips for Nintendo’s Switch and Switch 2.
How much will the next-gen Xbox cost?
Neither AMD nor Microsoft has announced a price. Leaked memory specifications, including up to 48GB of GDDR7, would be expensive to source at current contract pricing, which is one reason a launch price above the Xbox Series X’s original $499 looks likely.
What is Zen 6c and why does it matter for a console?
Zen 6c is a smaller, denser version of AMD’s Zen 6 CPU core, trading peak clock speed for lower power draw and reduced silicon area. Leaks describe Magnus using three full Zen 6 cores alongside eight Zen 6c cores, a hybrid layout AMD already ships in some handheld gaming chips.
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