It’s been reported that the PS6 — if market and manufacturing conditions don’t improve — could cost roughly $1000. If the PS6 is releasing next year, as it’s been reported by many, the chances that market and manufacturing conditions will improve are next to zero. What’s likely is that they will worsen, which brings us to a new report that warns the worsening has already begun.
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According to a new report from VC, the cost to produce motherboards has reportedly gone up at least 10%, if not more. This is primarily the result of substantial increases in PCB costs, capacitor costs, and WiFi module costs. What does this mean for the PS6? It’s estimated that the PS5 motherboard cost Sony roughly $40 to $50 to manufacture back in 2020, when conditions were far more favorable. The expectation was already that the PS6 motherboard was going to cost more, and now you can tack on at least another 10% or more.
More than $1000
This itself is probably not going to increase the price of the console on the consumer end, but it’s also a warning, which is that the estimated bill of costs of the PS6 right now, somewhere between $800 and $900, is going to go up. By this time next year, it’s not unreasonable to speculate it will be up $200 or $300. It’s gone up nearly $100 since the start of the year, and things just keep getting worse for it.
If it gets too expensive, Sony won’t be able to afford to eat the costs and get it below $1000. And once you hit the $1000 sticker shock, there is no incentive to eat costs. The majority of PlayStation fans going to buy a PS6 for $1000 are going to buy it for $1100 or $1200, so the $1000 threshold is very important. The most it has ever sold a console at a loss was around $200-300 with the PS3.
All of this considered, a $900 price point is still on the table. If Sony can keep the bill of costs from increasing between now and release, even an $800 price point is on the table. $1000 is as likely as a $900 price point, and it’s starting to look more and more like over $1000 can’t be ruled out.
That said, remember to take everything here with a grain of salt, as it’s unofficial reports laced with speculation. Nothing here is official information. We have both reports claiming the PS6 will release in 2027 and 2028. If it’s the former, we will see this thing as early as the first quarter of 2027, before the end of the fiscal year. If it’s 2028-bound, then we probably won’t see the PS6 this year or next year.
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Image Courtesy of Rockstar Games
