The PlayStation 5 liquid metal cooling system has rapidly become infamous following the system's launch in 2020. Not only did the system prove to be somewhat unreliable in launch units, often leading to overheating issues, but the liquid metal itself would leak onto the system's APU and motherboard components, leading to widespread malfunctions that are still getting reported in droves. For the next-generation PlayStation 6, however, Sony Interactive Entertainment plans to handle cooling differently, judging from a new patent that recently surfaced online.
As reported by Tech4Gamers, the PlayStation 6 may not use liquid metal cooling as its predecessor, but rather an advanced vaporization-based cooling system that uses a liquid like water and multiple tapered heat pipes to regulate circulation and ensure the system doesn't overheat. This system will also ensure cooling will work properly even with the system placed in a vertical orientation.
Besides ensuring better cooling for the PlayStation 6, this cooling solution would also help keep overall production costs down. While liquid metal cooling requires highly complex application processes on the assembly line, where any tiny spill results in irreversible component damage, a vapor chamber is a modular unit that can be placed onto the console's APU using standard procedures, thus reducing the risk of manufacturing errors.
While there's an extremely high likelihood the PlayStation 6 will not employ liquid metal cooling due to the many issues seen on the standard PlayStation 5, there's no guarantee Sony will use this exact patented vaporization-based cooling system.
Whatever Sony goes with, however, it will surely take into account the cooling issues of its current generation system to prevent launch units from failing soon after release. Given the system's expected high price, it would be a disaster for both a company whose reputation is not stellar at the time and gamers if a console priced at $1000 or more failed a few short months after purchase.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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