PS6 Given Four-Figure Price Prediction, Next Gen Is Going To Be Expensive

PlayStation fans have been warned about a massive price increase for the next-gen Sony console.

Amid the ongoing global RAM shortages, the prices of tech and hardware have skyrocketed beyond the norm, with most computer products being doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled.

This has undoubtedly affected the gaming market, with the price tag on current-gen consoles being hit by steep increases.

We’ve seen this with new gaming hardware as well, as the cheapest Steam Machine model revealed this week has broken the $1,000 barrier.

One report suggests that the price of the PlayStation 6 will also hit a four-figure number as a result of these hardware shortages, marking the first time a new video games console has gone that high in the United States.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, CEO of Aldora Joost van Dreunen said: “At this rate, the next generation may not even release until 2028, and when it does, north of a grand is the floor.”

He added: “The companies that manufacture the necessary components have fully shifted toward selling to hyperscalers, paying a premium to build out their data centres. The memory makers – Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron – are now 'post-consumer', which tells you gamers matter less and prices go up.”

The PlayStation 5 saw several price increases this generation. (Image: Sony)

"Next-Gen Consoles Will Likely Be More Expensive"

In the same article, Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games research at Ampere Analysis, said that “next-gen consoles will likely be more expensive, but they have different levers that can be pulled to offset hardware costs, which can support cheaper pricing.”

Harding-Rolls claimed that Sony is in a better position than Valve to price its hardware more affordably, saying: “Sony has more scale than Valve and is better positioned in terms of supply chain accessibility through its entrenched relationships and broader electronics business.

“Console companies will be hoping that they can take advantage of improving component inventories and more stable pricing as it gets closer to the launch of next-gen consoles. Market disruption and other factors means this is most likely to be at the end of 2028.”

READ MORE: Xbox Project Helix Will Be Priced Over $1000 Following Steam Machine Update

Mat Piscatella of Circana concludes that $1,000 consoles aren’t guaranteed, but adds that “it will possibly (even likely) happen anyways. Given the chaos in the world of components (and lots of other things, for that matter) the future here is beyond cloudy.”

Another analyst who sees $1,000 consoles as an inevitability is Emmanuel Rosier, director of market intelligence at Newzoo, who says that the PS5 Pro is “already at $899 after two hikes inside a year, so the distance to $1,000 is short.”

The PS6 doesn't have a release window yet. Rumours point to 2027 being the most likely release year for the platform, but others have suggested it could be pushed back to 2028 or 2029 to let the RAM shortages cool off for a bit.

With video game consoles already becoming unaffordable, it’s likely that we’re going to see more people holding onto their aging hardware for a lot longer until they can afford to upgrade.

We were still getting regular PS4 and Xbox One releases in this generation until around 2023, a whole three years after the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, because the adoption of current-generation consoles was slow at the beginning due to a similar hardware shortage as what’s occurring now.