PS6与次世代Xbox或使$1,000主机成新常态

Rumours continue to circulate about the next generation of consoles; for the PS6, it’s alleged to cost consumers over $1,000.

With the ongoing RAM crisis and forecasted next-gen console pricing, the PS6 and the next-gen XBOX (with a chipset currently known as Project Magnus) may be priced out of reach for most gamers. In today’s gaming landscape, consoles cost more than when they first retailed, and the same goes for the new-ish Nintendo Switch 2 (currently $50 more expensive than at launch). This is likely a trickle-down effect of the ongoing RAM crisis, which is making everything equipped with memory more expensive. So whether pricing increases are due to RAM or GPU chip inflation, the issue is that consoles are forecast to be far more expensive than the current generation, leaning toward double at retail.

A new PS6 rumour has surfaced, suggesting Sony’s next-generation console could cost more than $1,000 US at launch. The speculation stems from a lengthy NeoGAF discussion about next-generation hardware, where known hardware leaker KeplerL2 claimed, “RAM + NAND alone is over $680.” The comment was in response to another user hoping the console might launch for around $680 US. However, KeplerL2 clarified that the figure represented the estimated cost of the console’s memory and storage components alone, rather than its potential retail price.

If these estimates prove accurate, the PS6 could easily exceed $1,000 US at launch. For comparison, the original disc-based PS5 launched in 2020 for $499.99 US, while reports at the time estimated its manufacturing cost at approximately $450 US. That put the estimated manufacturing cost within $50 of its retail price, although Sony never officially confirmed the figure.

If similar pricing considerations apply to the PS6, its rumoured component costs could make it the most expensive PlayStation console at launch by a considerable margin. After all, the reported $680 US covers only the RAM and NAND storage, leaving the processor, graphics hardware, cooling, and other components to be accounted for. However, Sony has yet to announce official specifications or pricing, and component costs could change before the console reaches the market

The PS6 isn’t the only next-gen console that could cost a small fortune at launch. The next-gen XBOX, according to a new Fortune report, could also be expensive. The report claims the Helix console has been internally projected to cost consumers between $1,200 and $1,800. This is unless Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost, but even with a potential subsidy (which is when a console manufacturer eats some of the cost to keep pricing stable), the console will remain very expensive if the reports stand.

Despite all the reports and rumours surrounding the next-gen of consoles (and evidence from existing console releases), consumers should take these PS6 and XBOX rumours with a grain of salt, as official information about the PS6 may not match what is being rumoured today.