Sony hasn't formally announced its next-generation PlayStation console, but the PS6 era is seemingly inching ever closer as the company increases its investment into whatever its next console ends up being called.
Speaking on the company's financial results for the last fiscal year, Sony says it expects its operating income to remain flat year-on-year "due to the incorporation of an increase in investments for the next-generation platform." While the company didn't specifically name drop PS6, naming conventions only point in one direction...
In the company's latest earnings call, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki elaborates that the company "have not yet decided on" either the launch window or the price tag for its "future generations gaming consoles." PlayStation just wants to "really observe and follow the situation" for now. (Thanks, Investing.)
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Plans for the console's launch timings and price are up in the air in part because of the still-unstable cost of memory, Totoki adds, which are being driven up by the needs of AI data centers. Totoki's assuming there "will still be a shortage in supply" and is looking at how the company might "reduce the other costs of the hardware other than the semiconductor" leading up to the PS6. "Also, we might think of new ways of selling the product," he says.
Rising costs for RAM are proving difficult for more than just Sony, however. Nintendo only today announced plans to bump up the price of Switch 2 consoles across the world, pointing a finger to thorny market conditions. And, similarly, Valve was having a tough time securing RAM for the Steam Machine, its upcoming pre-built PC that also doesn't have a release date yet.
While Sony remains mute on the matter, recent rumors suggest PlayStation might try to launch multiple pieces of hardware at the same time, including a 'Lite' console retailing anywhere from $349 to $549 and a full-fat PS6 that'll reportedly cost $999. Take those numbers with a cupboard full of salt, but it's entirely possible that the next-generation of consoles may be out of reach for your average gamer.
PS6 rumors suggest the next console war will be fought on a completely new battlefield, and the Steam Machine might be in prime position.
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