The memory and storage inside Sony's next PlayStation console will reportedly cost the company more than $680 per unit, a figure that covers only those components and excludes the processor, cooling system, power supply and the rest of the hardware. The estimate comes from hardware leaker KeplerL2, who posted the claim on the NeoGAF forum.
The figure was offered in response to a forum member who suggested $680 might be a plausible subsidised retail price for the console. If the memory and storage bill alone reaches that level, the suggestion appears to be firmly ruled out. Sony has made no official comment on PlayStation 6 pricing, and the company has not confirmed any hardware specifications.
KeplerL2 has revised his estimates upward over the course of the year. In March, he put the console's overall bill of materials at around $760. By July, that figure had climbed to roughly $960. The latest claim suggests costs have continued to rise, with memory and storage now accounting for the bulk of the projected expense.
Current leaks point to the PS6 using GDDR7 memory on a 160-bit bus, with support for up to 40GB. A 30GB configuration is considered the more likely option. There have also been reports that Sony explored reducing memory capacity in an effort to keep costs under control.
The pressure on component prices is being attributed to the same force affecting the wider technology industry: AI data centres are absorbing supplies of DRAM and NAND flash memory, pushing prices higher for all buyers. The squeeze has affected everything from smartphones to servers, and consoles are now caught in the same market.
For British gamers, the implications are significant. The PlayStation 5 Pro launched at £699.99 in the UK, already a substantial sum for a console. If memory prices remain at current levels, a PS6 priced significantly above that figure looks increasingly likely, and a $1,000 price tag is now being discussed as a real possibility.
Sony has said nothing officially about PS6 pricing, so all of these figures should be treated with caution. Leaker estimates of bill-of-materials costs are not retail prices, and Sony could choose to absorb some of the expense through subsidies, as console makers have often done in the past. The company could also adjust specifications before launch.
Even so, the direction of travel is clear. Memory costs have become a central concern for hardware makers across the industry, and the next generation of consoles will be shaped by a market in which AI demand sets the price of components. For Sony, the challenge will be balancing the cost of building a machine capable of competing with rival platforms against a retail price that consumers will accept.
The PS6 has not been officially announced, and no release date has been confirmed. Until Sony provides details, the figures circulating online remain unverified claims from the hardware leaking community.