The PlayStation 6’s price has leaked again, and it’s significantly risen from previous estimates of $1,000.
It’s no secret that gaming is becoming more and more expensive, but it’s reached the stage where many of us are likely to be priced out of the next generation.
All signs point to the PlayStation 6 arriving in 2028, given that that’s when PlayStation is making its controversial shift to an all-digital future, ceasing production of physical games.
It’s unknown then whether the PlayStation 6 will feature a disc drive, as its only use would be to allow the play of backwards-compatible games and physical movies.
You’d hope that the console features a disc drive, especially as the PlayStation 6 is already set to exceed its previously estimated price tag of around $1,000.
The PlayStation 6’s ‘bill of materials’ keeps rising as components skyrocket in price
Well-known insider Kepler__L2 was the first to claim that the PlayStation 6 will charge $1,000 several months back.
They originally claimed that the console’s bill of materials, known as BOM, was around $760; in other words, that’s how much it once supposedly cost to produce the PlayStation 6.
However, BOM doesn’t include shipping costs or research and development costs. It’s purely tied to components and manufacturing.
You can probably see why Sony might have ended up with a figure of around $1,000, taking those extra costs into account. The console needs to be profitable.
Unfortunately, Kepler__L2 later surfaced saying the BOM was now around $960.
As we’re all aware, the cost of components is at an all-time high. GPU and RAM supplies are the most significantly affected.
There are shortages due to the vast number of AI data centres that are being built, which require high volumes of RAM and GPUs.
Amid these shortages, RAM and GPU suppliers are raising their prices – and within gaming and other consumer-facing tech industries, that cost is being passed on to us when we purchase new hardware.
The problem isn’t quelling. As the cost of motherboards has now risen by 10%
<a href="https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/ps6-playstation-6-price-expensive/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>ComicBook claims that a PS5 motherboard cost Sony around $40 to $50 to produce back in 2020.
The PS6 was likely to cost more anyway, but now you have to factor in that 10% rise.
This probably pushes Kepler__L2’s previous BOM estimate of $960 to well over $1,000. Don’t forget, Sony then needs to add in research costs, development costs, shipping costs, marketing costs, and more.
While we’d be surprised if a base PlayStation 6 charged as much as $1,500, all signs point to it being in the region of $1,100-$1,200.
Again, this is all speculative but it is based on real-world evidence, so it’s best that gamers begin to prepare for what the next-gen may throw their way.
All we can hope is that shortages significantly ease between now and the launch of the PlayStation 6 – and perhaps even that Sony finds some way to swallow the cost … especially after saving so much money on the production of physical games.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket
