PlayStation Issues New Official Statement on PS6 Prices

According to recent rumors and reports, Sony and PlayStation intend to release the PlayStation 6 in 2027 (although there is no confirmation), and PlayStation recently fielded a question on the PS6 price. The recent reveal of the Steam Machine’s price, as well as rumors that the Bill of Materials for the PS6 is nearly $1000, is obviously the catalyst for such a situation.

Thanks to the RAM crisis, as well as the rising costs for all components, modern hardware is already expensive. This is the first generation where years-old Xbox and PlayStation consoles are getting more expensive on the market, not cheaper, and there’s a strong case to be made for PlayStation and Xbox to delay their next-gen console releases (if 2027 rumors are true). No one will be able to afford them. But that’s not quite how production works, and while PlayStation has not yet confirmed a release window or much about the hardware at all, it has discussed its next-gen PS6 pricing amid the ongoing crisis.

During a recent investor Q&A (as first reported by VGC), Sony directly addressed the rising component and explained how it plans to approach future hardware pricing. The company stopped short of saying “PS6” directly, but the investor made the question clear as they referred to PlayStation’s “next-generation platform” and the company’s hardware profitability. In response, Sony called PlayStation hardware the foundation of its gaming business and said it remains focused on delivering products that players see as worth their asking price. The company also pointed to devices like the PlayStation Portal as examples of how it’s expanding the PlayStation ecosystem beyond the living room (rather than relying solely on traditional consoles). In PlayStation’s own words,

“As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing.”

Perhaps the biggest takeaway, however, was Sony’s stance on pricing. The company said it is not realistic to absorb every increase in manufacturing costs, noting that it has already raised hardware prices for PS5 consoles in several regions outside Japan. Despite those increases, Sony said sales have continued as planned and that demand has not noticeably declined. Because of that, the company said it has no plans to sell hardware at significant losses as a general rule, though it stressed that it is continuing to monitor market conditions.

Image via Sony

Those comments come as hardware manufacturers across the industry continue dealing with rising memory and storage costs. Sony isn’t alone in facing those challenges, with companies like Microsoft, Nintendo, Valve, and Apple all adjusting prices in response to more expensive components. A lawsuit purports that several RAM companies have actually, intentionally kept supply low and prices high, resulting in a federal lawsuit being filed against key RAM producers, but how that shakes out remains to be seen.

For now, Sony isn’t ready to reveal when the PlayStation 6 will launch or how much it will cost. Company president Hiroki Totoki previously confirmed that neither decision has been made, adding that Sony is closely watching the component market before locking in its plans. While PS6 pricing remains a mystery, Sony’s latest comments offer one of the clearest indications yet that rising production costs could play a major role in shaping the next generation of PlayStation hardware.