Rumor mill: As tariffs and the RAM crisis have raised game console prices, many fear that next-generation devices could cross the dreaded $1,000 mark. This seems increasingly likely for the PlayStation 6 as Sony's strategy shifts toward per-user revenue and the company appears to be eyeing the handheld market.
Prominent leaker KeplerL2 recently claimed that the cost of manufacturing Sony's upcoming PlayStation 6 console has increased considerably in recent months. Due to memory shortages, upcoming game consoles could cost twice as much as their predecessors did at launch.
Kepler estimated in March that the PS6's bill of materials (BOM) was approximately $760, so Sony could have conceivably released the console for $699 and recouped its subsidy after selling two or three games per user. However, Kepler now claims that the bill has since climbed by $200, landing dangerously close to four digits.
The PlayStation 5 already received a price hike last year, raising the standard model to $549 and the PlayStation 5 Pro to a staggering $899. Meanwhile, Microsoft increased the prices of its Xbox Series consoles twice last year and is set to do so again on August 1. RAM shortages have multiplied DRAM and NAND prices since last year, leading PC, smartphone, and console manufacturers to raise prices across the board.
Moreover, recent comments from Sony to investors indicate that the company does not intend to absorb the increased costs. Responding to several questions, President and CEO Hideaki Nishino emphasized the company's plan to prioritize profitability over expanding PlayStation's user base.
Instead of increasing monthly active users at all costs, the company aims to monetize existing users with recurring revenue, likely from subscriptions and DLC. Furthermore, Nishino stated that PlayStation aims to provide a "seamless" experience that expands beyond the living room, sparking renewed rumors of a portable console.
Leakers, including Kepler, previously described an SoC, codenamed Canis, that appears to be a smaller variant of the PlayStation 6 processor intended for a handheld companion device. The chip is said to feature four Zen 6C CPU cores clocked at 2.2GHz, 12 to 20 RDNA 5 GPU compute units, LPDDR5X-7500 memory on a 128-bit bus, and a 15W TDP. That could allow the handheld to outperform Microsoft's Xbox Series S, even before accounting for upscaling technologies similar to PSSR and DLSS.
Based on these specs, experts suggest that Canis could run all PlayStation 4 games out of the box, as well as PlayStation 5 and 6 titles that receive patches from developers. Sony hopes that its multi-format strategy can win back users who migrated from PlayStation to PC.
The PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox console, codenamed Helix, are expected to launch in late 2027 or 2028.