While Sony still hasn’t set a launch date for the PlayStation 6, rumors about its cost aren’t exactly encouraging. And for those hoping the alleged handheld version will be cheaper, leaker Kepler_L2 claims that won’t be the case.
Asked by a NeoGAF user about what’s happening with LPDDR5X prices and whether the handheld could be priced at $600, they responded, “$600 is definitely not possible right now. LPDDR memory is actually seeing the biggest price increases since it’s being used in a lot of data center products.”
Given that the company has enough RAM for the rest of the year, one has to wonder how much this will affect current console prices. When asked how much the PS5 and PS5 Pro were being subsidized, Kepler_L2 replied, “RAM prices fluctuate a lot right now, and I don’t know how good of a contract Sony managed to get, so it’s hard to say, but they are most likely selling at/near cost.”
As a result, it’s unlikely to announce further price hikes any time soon. That could change heading into next year, especially with concerns that memory shortages could continue well into 2028.
Of course, it also only further crushes hopes that it could subsidize the cost of the PlayStation 6, whose reported bill of materials is nearly $1,000. Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki previously said it wasn’t planning to sell hardware at significant losses, but as always, the situation surrounding its next-gen console remains up in the air. Perhaps we’ll learn more next year, when its rumored to launch – stay tuned for updates until then.
