PlayStation 6 bill of materials nears $1,000 as RAM shortages worsen

[Daniel Sims]

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.

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PlayStation 6 bill of materials nears $1,000 as RAM shortages worsen

 

[Y2JB47]

It’s not economically viable at that point.

 

[godrilla]

Oh no kids will finally go back outside and play sports find jobs. Let the cronies choke on their dystopian ambitions!

 

[sreams]

Oh no kids will finally go back outside and play sports find jobs. Let the cronies choke on their dystopian ambitions!

Instead, they'll play AI-generated cloud-based games on their dumb displays.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Oh no kids will finally go back outside and play sports find jobs. Let the cronies choke on their dystopian ambitions!

Tens of millions of employed people play games. Where do you think they got the money to buy them?

 

[Axeia]

Oh no kids will finally go back outside and play sports find jobs. Let the cronies choke on their dystopian ambitions!

Right, because the majority of them aren't already stuck to their phone watching TikTok or playing the worst most exploitative games on their mobile phone. Playing console / PC games was never all that bad for you, and now I'd even say it's preferred option because I guarantee you that TikTok or 'YouTube for kids' is definitely not great for developing brains. Or you can go fully old school and take devices away and give them books, but you'd already be doing that anyway if that's the aim so this doesn't change anything.

The outside also has greatly increased in the number of unsavory characters in a lot of countries which has some parents not even wanting their kids to go play outside.

 

[m4a4]

Does this mean that Sony is going back to publishing on PC to increase their first party game sales?

Or are they still butthurt that (most) PC gamers have a spine?

 

[godrilla]

Instead, they'll play AI-generated cloud-based games on their dumb displays.

Board games don't need ram either lol.

Tens of millions of employed people play games. Where do you think they got the money to buy them?

Those adults started out by parents buying them their 1st consoles/ PCs. Eventually they became adults with money. That market is being stagnated if the current trend continues. Also brick and mortar shops like gamestop allowed for reselling of physical copies mitigating cost of ownership/ pay to experience expenditure are now dwindling with hyper focus on digital only trends. Gaming isn't going anywhere but unfortunately many will probably be priced out of the premium gaming experience we got accustomed to.

 

[Notmare]

The Steam Machine is $1050?! You can get a PlayStation for less...oh wait...

 

[human7]

Between skyrocketing hardware prices, layoffs and crunches in the gaming industry, and the debate over AI in games, are we heading towards another video game crash like what happened in the early 80s?

 

[LordVile95]

So what you’re saying is Microsoft only needs to subsidies the console, have steam available as a store and make bank with gamepass?

 

[LordVile95]

The Steam Machine is $1050?! You can get a PlayStation for less...oh wait...

Issue is the steam machine is weaker than the current gen consoles. If the PS6 has a 2x performance jump on the PS5 Pro like the PS5 had over the PS4 Pro then that puts it at what 3-4x more capable than the steam machine for roughly the same price

 

[dangh]

Does this mean that Sony is going back to publishing on PC to increase their first party game sales?

That would only made the reoccupation slower. If Sony deliver good games I do not care where I play it, I would be happy to buy ps for that, if they wont create good games I see no reason to get another mess on a pc.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

So what you’re saying is Microsoft only needs to subsidies the console, have steam available as a store and make bank with gamepass?

How do you think they are going to "make bank with gamepass" if their console is sold at a loss and Steam is present?

They dont make bank NOW, putting steam on there is gonna kill Gamepass stone dead.

Between skyrocketing hardware prices, layoffs and crunches in the gaming industry, and the debate over AI in games, are we heading towards another video game crash like what happened in the early 80s?

Heading? Bro we have BEEN in one for over a year. A third of the industry has gotten laid off, games are failing left and right, studios shutting down, ece.

Board games don't need ram either lol.

Those adults started out by parents buying them their 1st consoles/ PCs. Eventually they became adults with money. That market is being stagnated if the current trend continues. Also brick and mortar shops like gamestop allowed for reselling of physical copies mitigating cost of ownership/ pay to experience expenditure are now dwindling with hyper focus on digital only trends. Gaming isn't going anywhere but unfortunately many will probably be priced out of the premium gaming experience we got accustomed to.

The vast majority of game spending today is from adults. Not children. The idea that people who play games are unemployed NEETs is an obsolete concept from the 90s when Christian moms were pearl clutching over everything their kids liked.

The screed about "muh physical copies" is a decade obsolete already. Welcome back to 2013. Most sales are digital now, and have been for some time.

 

[NumberNine]

Soon the most they will be able to produce this the Sony Claystation with three free tubes of DRM-locked clay to mold into shapes. Then they'll be able to ship their mockups directly to market.

 

[LordVile95]

How do you think they are going to "make bank with gamepass" if their console is sold at a loss and Steam is present?

They dont make bank NOW, putting steam on there is gonna kill Gamepass stone dead.

Actually the issue was too many people had gamepass which made CoD sales drop. Gamepass turns over 5Bn a year which is about 20% of xbox revenue and is profitable.

It would actually be a way to get people off of steam and allows them to skirt steams anti-consumer practices of pinning the price of all PC games to steams as it’s not technically a PC platform. They can offer gamepass, match the discount price on steam and add the gamepass discount ontop. Plus the Xbox shared library management is light years better than steams so why not buy it there?

 

[yRaz]

Actually the issue was too many people had gamepass which made CoD sales drop. Gamepass turns over 5Bn a year which is about 20% of xbox revenue and is profitable.

It would actually be a way to get people off of steam and allows them to skirt steams anti-consumer practices of pinning the price of all PC games to steams as it’s not technically a PC platform. They can offer gamepass, match the discount price on steam and add the gamepass discount ontop. Plus the Xbox shared library management is light years better than steams so why not buy it there?

Steam is Anti-Consumer?

 

[godrilla]

How do you think they are going to "make bank with gamepass" if their console is sold at a loss and Steam is present?

They dont make bank NOW, putting steam on there is gonna kill Gamepass stone dead.
Heading? Bro we have BEEN in one for over a year. A third of the industry has gotten laid off, games are failing left and right, studios shutting down, ece.
The vast majority of game spending today is from adults. Not children. The idea that people who play games are unemployed NEETs is an obsolete concept from the 90s when Christian moms were pearl clutching over everything their kids liked.

The screed about "muh physical copies" is a decade obsolete already. Welcome back to 2013. Most sales are digital now, and have been for some time.

Those adults with money aren't exactly buying Playstation games/consoles en masse either. Yesterday's article showing Sony had their worst month/quarter. I guess adults will also have more efficient gaming sessions and more cautionary buying trends going forward.
The baglog of games are just too long to pay a premium for any corporate slop charged at a premium. If adults aren't going on spending sprees eventually they will also pull cluth like they did in the 90s.

 

[LordVile95]

Steam is Anti-Consumer?

They force devs to list PC games at the same price or higher than steam or they remove it from steam abusing their monopoly to lock it in even more. They’ve also been fined in the EU for colluding with publishers to geolock prices.

They’re in a bunch of lawsuits currently for anti consumer and anticompetitive behaviour. Then there the gambling issues and not letting users sell on their licences.

EDIT:

I also forgot they were very on board with paid mods with Bethesda and put paid mods on the workshop before scrapping it after backlash. They also didn’t allow refunds until the courts made them.

Personally I’ve started buying games on the Xbox app due to potential cross platform availability with play anywhere titles and the lower cut they take on PC (12%) vs 30% on steam which is better for devs.

 

[Axeia]

Between skyrocketing hardware prices, layoffs and crunches in the gaming industry, and the debate over AI in games, are we heading towards another video game crash like what happened in the early 80s?

It's just accelerating what was already more or less happening, trimming down the number of AAA studios and their budgets.
-No spending tens of millions on advertising
-No spending millions on hiring celebrities for voice acting/3d scans
-No spending money on 'DEI consultants' and other nonsense
-No targeting high end hardware exclusively by doing things like not having an option to turn raytracing off.

Smaller studios and indie devs will be just fine.

 

[return]

Oh no kids will finally go back outside and play sports find jobs. Let the cronies choke on their dystopian ambitions!

or drugs, alcohol and some other trouble.

 

[Notmare]

Issue is the steam machine is weaker than the current gen consoles. If the PS6 has a 2x performance jump on the PS5 Pro like the PS5 had over the PS4 Pro then that puts it at what 3-4x more capable than the steam machine for roughly the same price

For sure, to each his own, right? Personally, I'd take the device that has 30,000 playable games and can do everything you can on a computer because it truly is, and is treated like one.

 

[LordVile95]

For sure, to each his own, right? Personally, I'd take the device that has 30,000 playable games and can do everything you can on a computer because it truly is, and is treated like one.

Aside from it can’t because it’s running Linux and 30,000 “playable” games is stretching it. 99% of those are shovel ware and it can’t play large titles like CoD, Fortnite and EA sports titles meaning it’s DOA for the console market.

If you want a bad console experience build a cheaper PC and put steamOS on it. At least it’ll be cheaper and have better performance than a console from 5 years ago.

 

[Notmare]

Aside from it can’t because it’s running Linux and 30,000 “playable” games is stretching it. 99% of those are shovel ware and it can’t play large titles like CoD, Fortnite and EA sports titles meaning it’s DOA for the console market.

If you want a bad console experience build a cheaper PC and put steamOS on it. At least it’ll be cheaper and have better performance than a console from 5 years ago.

I get it, man. You don't like to tinker, and that's okay. I personally do, and there are others out there that do, too. I prefer the future that Valve is creating over the one that Sony pushing for. I'll vote for the future I want using my wallet, you do the same. My hope is that eventually SteamOS will run Steam's vast library as reliably as Sony's consoles, and I'm willing to support that hope by helping them find issues and resolve them; you absolutely don't need to do that. Cheers.

 

[m4a4]

I get it, man. You don't like to tinker, and that's okay. I personally do, and there are others out there that do, too. I prefer the future that Valve is creating over the one that Sony pushing for. I'll vote for the future I want using my wallet, you do the same. My hope is that eventually SteamOS will run Steam's vast library as reliably as Sony's consoles, and I'm willing to support that hope by helping them find issues and resolve them; you absolutely don't need to do that. Cheers.

As you can see, no point engaging with him; he's disingenuous as h3ll. I found that out when he first tried to convince me the Steam Machine isn't worth it because it couldn't support a disc drive, oh wait, no, a disc drive is supported, but can only take up the 1 and only USB-C slot....... Even though you can get a USB-A disc drive if you reeeaaally needed it...

But yeah, the fact that it can run thousands of games, including oldies, as a console-like PC is more than worth considering it for people. Especially those that don't want to tinker on a PC.
Heck, you even have the freedom to install whatever OS on it if you really want/need.