Sony Keeps PS6 Timetable Unset, Soaring Memory Costs Force A Pricing Reassessment

Author: Qoo Media

Sony is not ready to lock in PlayStation 6 details, and the biggest reason is not hardware secrecy but market pressure. The company still has no fixed launch schedule for the next-generation console, and pricing has also not been finalized amid continuing disruption in the global component supply chain.

That caution came through in Sony’s latest financial update, where Hiroki Totoki, the company’s president and CEO, said Sony cannot yet give a firm answer on when the new console will arrive or how much it will cost. The uncertainty is tied closely to component costs that remain elevated, especially memory.

Memory Prices Remain a Major Obstacle

Sony’s immediate concern is RAM, which is also in high demand from the AI and data center sectors. Totoki said memory prices are expected to stay high through fiscal 2027, leaving little room for a quick pricing decision on PS6.

This matters because a console launch is not only about features or timing. When core components remain expensive, production costs rise with them, and that forces Sony to rethink how aggressively it can price the next PlayStation.

Sony Is Watching the Market Before Moving

The company is treating the current environment as unstable, with global supply still not fully settled. That makes any public commitment on launch timing or retail price risky, especially for a major product like PS6.

Sony is also looking at ways to reduce costs, according to the same update. The company has even left open the possibility of changing its business model in the future if market conditions require it.

Analysts See the Next Console as Still Distant

Because Sony has not provided a firm timeline, some industry analysts expect PS6 to arrive around 2028. If that estimate proves correct, the current PlayStation cycle would become one of the longest in Sony’s history.

That would also give PS5 a longer run as the company’s main console. PS5 launched in 2020 and remains Sony’s primary gaming platform in the global market.

PS5 Still Anchors Sony’s Gaming Business

Even with slowing hardware momentum, PS5 continues to matter greatly to Sony’s overall gaming performance. Sony reported that hardware sales for PS5 fell 46 percent year over year, with about 1.5 million units sold in the three months ended 31 March 2026.

The lifetime figure is still substantial. Global PS5 sales have reached 93.7 million units, putting the system only slightly behind PS4 at the same stage of its cycle.

Sony also said most PlayStation game sales now come from digital distribution rather than physical copies. That shift shows how the PlayStation ecosystem continues to evolve, with more of the business leaning on digital revenue streams.

Gaming Revenue Keeps Growing Despite Pressure

Sony’s gaming division posted an operating income increase of about 12 percent, even after the company recorded around USD565 million in losses tied to Bungie. The result suggests that the broader gaming business remains resilient despite hardware slowdown and ongoing cost pressure.

For now, PS6 remains tied to the direction of the component market rather than to a fixed product roadmap. As long as RAM and other parts stay expensive and supply conditions remain unsettled, Sony appears set to wait before revealing when the next PlayStation generation will be ready, or what it will cost.

Source: www.medcom.id
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