PlayStation 6 reportedly costs nearly double the PS5 to manufacture, with estimates exceeding US$900.

Sony's PlayStation 6 (PS6) has yet to be officially announced, but discussion surrounding the next-generation console is already widespread, with one of the biggest talking points being its potential price point.

Many fans are concerned about how much the PS6 could cost, particularly amid rising hardware prices and ongoing memory shortages driven by the AI boom, which has significantly increased demand for high-performance memory. Those concerns may be well founded, as a new report claims the PS6 could cost double the cost of its predecessor.

How much could the PS6 cost?

In a NeoGAF thread, hardware leaker KeplerL2 initially claimed the PS6's bill of materials (BOM) stood at around US$760, according to Tech Power Up. However, the leaker has since updated that estimate, stating: "BOM went up by ~$200 since I made that post," bringing the estimated manufacturing cost up to a reported US$960 per unit.

The figure is particularly striking when compared with the PS5, whose BOM reportedly stood at around US$450 at launch, according to Games Industry. If accurate, that would make the PS6 twice as expensive to manufacture as the PS5.

Users in the NeoGAF discussion also speculated that the reported US$960 BOM may not be the final figure, with hardware costs expected to continue rising over the coming years, leading some to believe the PS6's manufacturing cost, particularly its base model, could eventually exceed US$1,000 per unit. 

However, these figures did not come from Sony, so they should be taken with a grain of salt. 

That said, a drastic increase in the next generation console wouldn't be all that surprising, given the rising costs seen across the gaming industry. PlayStation has already increased the prices of its hardware and PlayStation Plus subscriptions recently, while rival console maker Xbox also raised console prices just last week. The standard price of consoles may also be headed toward the $1000 figure, with Valve's Steam Machine base product already confirmed to retail at US$1,049. 

When is the PS6 coming out?

Sony has yet to officially announce the PlayStation 6 or reveal any pricing details. However, many expect the next-generation console to arrive within the next two years, potentially launching around the same time as Project Helix, Microsoft's rumoured next-generation Xbox.

The speculation also aligns with Sony's typical console release cycle. The PlayStation 5 launched in November 2020, seven years after the PlayStation 4. November 2027 will mark the PS5's seventh anniversary, making it a plausible window for the start of a new console generation.