At this rate, it cannot be ruled out that the decade will end without any representative of the tenth generation of video game consoles having reached the market; at least as far as PlayStation. According to Bloomberg, sony are considering delaying their current plans and move the PlayStation 6 release schedule several years.
The reason is the usual one in recent months. The very high demand for memory RAM by big technology companies for AI data centers has caused, since last September, a huge increase in the cost of memory modules and also storage units. And it’s not just the shortage caused by that demand, but companies like Crucialof Micronhave reoriented their production to this sector and abandoned the consumermaking the situation worse. This has resulted in computers, smartphones, televisions and other devices seeing increase their prices or that manufacturers limit RAM memory to maintain them.
Bloomberg cites sources close to Sony to state that The planned 2027 launch window for PlayStation 6 is being rethought. The company could delay it until 2028 or 2029 to weather the storm. In the latter case, we would be facing a period of nine years between PS5 and PS6when the usual thing for Sony is to space its video game systems seven years apart.
The information indicates that also the Switch 2 of nintendo is feeling the pressure derived from the shortage. The company would be considering a price increase for this year. Switch 2 was released last June, succeeding the very successful nintendo switchand has already exceeded 17 million units sold. Its current price is €469.99.
It is not the only factor to take into account. In this generation, an unprecedented phenomenon has occurred in the history of video game consoles and that is that Its price has become more expensive over the years, instead of decreasing as hardware became outdated and production became more efficient.which has been the trend for decades. Upon launch in 2020, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S They cost, respectively, and depending on the version (with or without reader on PS5 and model S or X on Xbox), €399.99 / €499.99 and €299.99 / €499.99.
Now, prices are at €499.99 / €549.99 for PS5 and €349.99 / €599.99 for Xbox. Sony’s top model, PS5 Prolaunched at the end of 2024, has not changed its €799.99 since then. But if the current generation continues on the market for longer than initially planned and there are component shortages, there could be new price increases for current PlayStation and Xbox models.
The medium does not address the plans of the third party in contention, Microsoft. amdwhich provides the SoC for both PlayStation and Xbox, recently noted that the semi-custom system-on-a-chip it is developing for Microsoft’s next console is progressing well. Also mentioned 2027 as a possible release datecoinciding with the PS6 launch window that has been handled. However, given the shortage of components, It wouldn’t be strange if Microsoft ended up delaying the next Xbox.