Sony patent suggests PS6 will drop liquid metal cooling after PS5 APU failures

A patent filing reported by Wccftech suggests Sony is planning a different cooling solution for the PlayStation 6, moving away from the liquid metal thermal interface material used in the PS5. That material was meant to keep the APU cool, but it has been linked to reports of leaks that fried APUs and motherboards across the PS5’s lifespan.

The patent reportedly describes an alternative design that avoids the point of failure Sony’s current console has been wrestling with for years. As with any patent, there is no guarantee it makes it into final hardware, and Sony has not commented on PS6 specifications. But moving away from a component with a well-documented failure rate is the kind of engineering course correction that makes sense after a generation of complaints.