Could the PS6 Actually Cost $600, or Even $700?

It sounds like the PS6 won't just be more expensive than the PS5, but substantially more expensive. When Sony released the PS5 back in 2020, it did so at two price points: $400 and $500. The former was the discless version of the console it unsurprisingly made hard to get by producing fewer units of. To this end, most have forked over $500 for a PS5. The economy was in a far different place when the PS5 released though. It was actually cheaper to produce a PS5 in 2020 than it is now. Usually, over time, it becomes cheaper for console manufacturers to make said console, which in turn allows them to save money over time. Sony recently confirmed though it has actually become more expensive to make the PS5 over time because its parts have increased in price rather than decrease in price. This and some other factors suggest the PS6 is probably going to cost you a foot and a leg to get you hands on it. 

As industry insider Kepler notes over on X, the "cost per transistor has remained flat through FinFETs and will go up with GAAFETs/CFETs." What does this mean in english? Well, "the days of free cost savings with die shrinks is over." Not only that, Kepler, and others, warn it will only get worse. 

What does this mean, more practically? Well, it means one of two things will happen. The first option is that console prices will be substantially higher going forward. The second option is there will be smaller margins on console manufacturing, which already has very tight and risky margins to begin with. Usually, costs are passed onto the consumer, especially in a non-competitive market. And right now, with the PS5 outselling the Xbox Series X|S more than two-to-one, the market is pretty non-competitive. 

Sony COO Totoki said that it is harder to grow profits on the PS5 as the life cycle goes on in comparison to previous generations. With previous gens as time went on it became cheaper to produce them. But with PS5 the parts are becoming more expensive as the life cycle goes on.

— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) February 14, 2024

So, how much will the PS6 cost? $600 seems like a reasonable bet. We haven't seen this price point from PlayStation since the launch of the PS3. This wouldn't even completely account for inflation and the increase costs though. If Sony wants to get back to healthier margins, it will probably need to charge $700. It's hard to imagine a world where it does this based on the past, but looking ahead, it seems less and less ludicrous  to suggests with each day that passes. 

Of course, take all of this speculation with a grain of salt. The PS6 is rumored -- based on leaked Microsoft documents -- to release in 2028. The world and market will be a different place in four years. This cuts both ways of course, it could be a better time to release a new console, but it could also be an even more hostile time to release a console. No matter what, we expect PlayStation fans to be digging deeper into their wallets going forward