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Questions of the impact the current memory crisis will have on the PS6 release date have been swirling since those sticks started creeping up in price. Whether Sony will have enough inventory to see it through the current generation is one thing (and with PS5 price increases it seems they do not), but how these soaring costs fit into the launch of a completely new device is another entirely.
Many suggest a holiday 2027 launch window for Sony's new console, while others point to the memory market only stabilizing in late 2028 (Chosun Biz, via TechPowerUp). Some say the latter will have a devastating impact on PS6 launch plans, others say it doesn't matter at all. As with every rumor mill in the years leading up to a new generation, it's likely both parties will end up wrong in some respects - but here's what we know so far.
The 2027 brigade
This camp is lead by popular leaker Moore's Law is Dead, who posted that Sony's production schedule has them entering mass manufacturing on the PS6 in mid 2027, heading towards a holiday release window. The channel also suggested that Sony would likely absorb increased memory costs during this time, rather than back down on other contracts.
We can't forget that that information is six months old at this point, though, and newer reports don't paint such an optimistic picture.
New (and old) arguments for 2028
Back in February, Bloomberg published its report on the impact of the memory crisis. Within lies the pin to the PS6 release date grenade that's been making waves for the last couple of months; the statement that "Sony Group Corp. is now considering pushing back the debut of its next PlayStation console to 2028 or even 2029."
It seems that, yes, the ever-increasing price of RAM is going to have an effect on the new Sony system. Even if the brand does as MLID expects, selling consoles at a loss to ensure market position, they would be doing so in 2028, not 2027.
That might not even, technically, be a delay.
Way back in 2023, Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard and essentially put us on the road to the darkest timeline. During those proceedings, though, the brand published its expectations for the timeline of the next generation. Speaking of sharing custody of the Call of Duty franchise, Microsoft's filings claim that "this term would in any case go beyond the expected starting period of the next generation of consoles (in 2028)."
If Microsoft isn't expecting the next race to start until 2028, Sony has even less of a reason to rush for a 2027 release date, despite its own filings referencing next year as a starting point. Reacting to the CMA's Issues Statement on Microsoft's Activision purchase, Sony stated that "Microsoft has offered to continue making Activision's games available on PlayStation only until 2027."
When is the likely PS6 release date?
There's more evidence for the PS6 hitting the market in 2028 than 2027 at this point, but we're still at least a year away from anything concrete. That's a long time in as turbulent a market as this.
What does it mean for you? Better keep that PS5 dust-free, because Sony fans are likely going to be sticking with the current generation console a little longer than maybe initially anticipated.
It also means the Steam Machine has a chance to snatch up a good deal of the install base before Microsoft and Sony bring their big guns to the living room. While the PS6 has been rumored to massively outperform Valve's device, high price tags and uncertain release dates are easily enough to counteract any gains in ray-traced tasks.
While we wait for the next generation, we're rounding up all the best PS5 accessories, including the best PS5 headsets and best PS5 controllers.
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