š¤·āāļø Sony has admitted it doesnāt know when the PS6 will be released or how much itāll cost
šø The current impact of the memory crisis could affect long-term pricing and availability beyond launch
š® Microsoft is also in the same boat with a higher price for Project Helix
š Sony has already raised prices of its existing hardware owing to similar concerns
Sony has admitted it doesnāt have a projected release date or retail price for the PlayStation 6 due to the current memory crisis.
The revelation comes from an investorsā Q&A session following Sonyās annual corporate strategy and earnings call, where Sony president and CEO Hiroki Totoki responded to a caller who asked how the ongoing memory crisis is affecting the brandās approach to the PlayStation 6.
Totoki responded via a translator (thanks, VGC) with the comment that Sony hasnāt decided on the PS6 release date, nor how much it may cost.
He explained that as the price of memory increases, the cost of the deviceās bill of materials and manufacturing has increased to the point that it could have a knock-on effect on the consoleās manufacturing process.
For the rest of 2026, Sony has acquired the necessary volume of materials it needs and has āto a certain extent agreed on the price itselfā, according to Totoki. However, he also said that memory prices are also expected to be very high for the next financial year, meaning Sony āmust think carefullyā about the availability and pricing of its next-gen console.
We donāt know much about the PlayStation 6 officially, beyond that Sony has said the next console generation has been ātop of mindā in recent months, although leaks have indicated it could be a versatile console with accompanying handheld with a large amount of memory and with the ability to play discs as well as digital games.
The PlayStation 6 is expected to launch in 2027, according to leakers, and Microsoft is rumored to be targeting next year for its next-gen Project Helix hybrid console, too.
Microsoft has stated that the next-gen consoleās price will also be affected by the memory crisis, meaning Sony isnāt alone in navigating the current market conditions with its next big hardware release.
The memory crisis has had adverse effects elsewhere in the PC and console hardware industry, with it being pretty well documented that it has played havoc with the Steam Machineās price, plus Valveās refusal to commit to a release date for both the Steam Machine and Steam Frame beyond the vague ā2026ā window.
Sony itself has also cited ācontinued pressures in the global economic landscapeā for its recent hefty PS5 price rise, which saw the PS5 Pro rise to $900, and the PS5 Standard and Digital models rise to $650 and $600, respectively.
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.