PS6 cooling system upgrade could address PS5’s most annoying issue

With the PS6, Sony is expected to bring major performance upgrades, just like it did with the PS5 over the PS4. With more powerful hardware at the core of the PS6, keeping it cool is going to be even more challenging. With the PS5, Sony decided to go with liquid metal as the thermal interface, but a new patent suggests the PS6 will do things differently.

Spotted on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website (via Spaziogames), a Sony patent dated January 26, 2026 shows a cooling system for what is expected to be the PS6. It is a set of heat pipes and heatsinks that have been positioned in such a way that regardless of the orientation of the console, the cooling will stay the same. The liquid, likely water, will remain within the circuit and continue to draw heat away from the processor regardless of the console's orientation.

As we know, the PS5 has a recommended orientation and that’s laying it horizontally. When placed vertically, the liquid metal can seep out overtime and cause overheating issues. The leaked liquid metal could also potentially cause short circuits if it comes in contact with other components. With the PS5 Pro and subsequent refreshed PS5 models, Sony added grooves to the APU area to keep the liquid metal in place.

The heat pipe and heatsink structure is not too different from traditional PC cooling. This could give the PS6 better thermal performance during long gaming sessions, and in turn improve the lifespan of the console.

It should be noted that the patents don’t always make it to the final product. Also, they show a PS5 console in the patent drawings, but a refreshed console at this point in the lifecycle would be unexpected.