Why Sony could be delaying the PlayStation 6

Sony’s PlayStation consoles have been enormously successful, and have clearly outsold their Xbox rivals during the past two generations. The trend has continued in the current generation with the PlayStation 5 (PS5 for short) leaping above the Xbox Series X and S consoles, outselling them by a margin of more than 2 to 1 (according to unofficial data on vgchartz.com).

Despite the PS5’s success, though, it’s likely that Sony is already thinking about the next generation, the next iteration of the PlayStation which pundits were expecting would arrive in 2027. This is because Sony normally releases a new PlayStation console every 7 years – for instance, the PS3 saw a release in 2006, while the PS4 debuted in 2013. And since the PS5 came out in 2020, people were expecting to see the PS6 sometime in 2027.

Nonetheless, it seems this won’t be the case, as a shortage of memory chips will likely force Sony to delay the PS6 as was recently reported on gamesindustry.biz. Sky-high demand for memory used in AI data centers and other things artificial intelligence-related, with companies like Alphabet and Microsoft gobbling up a significant chunk of the available supply of chips means prices have gone up as inventories dwindle. The result is Japanese company Sony could be delaying its PS6 console until 2028 or maybe 2029 according to Bloomberg.

Because pricing will surely be an issue as gamers and consumers in general have been suffering the effects of inflation in their pockets for years, with Sony not wanting to put out the PS6 at an unreasonable price due to the memory chip drought. Hence it likely delaying the console into 2028 or 2029 instead of releasing an overpriced console earlier. And we may well even have to wait until the 2030s to see the PS6 in action…

The PS5 is currently priced at $550, compared to its launch price of $500 US dollars, so it’s no cheaper to get than in late 2020. Meanwhile, the PS5 digital version (which doesn’t come with a disc drive) was launched at $400 but is now selling at $500 US dollars. And the PS5 Pro’s price is now $750, when it originally shipped at $700 US dollars. This means Sony would have to sell the upcoming PS6 at more than this, a significant outlay for a games machine which many might not be willing to make…

The above is coupled with the fact that Sony is still selling many PS5s, even if the recent trend is down a bit. Sony sold less consoles in the latest holiday period vs the third quarter of 2024 according to the Games Industry article. The company had shifted 9.5 million PS5s in one period and 8 million in the other, a more than 15 % decrease. However, according to the company’s CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Lin Tao, “software revenue from the PlayStation Store reached a record high” during the latest quarter, meaning Sony is still doing big business with the PS5 at its current price.

Also, another reason justifying a potential delay is that the PS5 quite simply does not feel inadequate in any way. There’s nothing about it that screams “obsolete!”, with current games looking and sounding great on the system… Also, taking into account the fact that the PS5 launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, and that the console was scarcely available for years, many people had to wait a long time to get hold of it.

The PS5 has gotten some superb exclusives like Spider-Man 2, but not as many as you would expect given the console’s age.

Plus, there haven’t been that many great PS5 exclusives to date too. Games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have been top sellers for sure, but others which sold millions on the PS5 like God of War Ragnarok also launched on PS4, while both of the aforementioned games also have PC versions available.

There’s also the fact that millions of players (who may or may not game on PC too) are still gaming on PS4, with the console still getting blockbuster games like EA Sports FC 26 and Elden Ring: Nightreign last year. However, Sony will begin a gradual shutdown of PlayStation services for PS4 beginning this spring, while it has already stopped making first-party PS4 games. Which makes sense taking into account how long it takes to develop games for PS5 these days, while also making a last-gen version available too…

But this and the fact the console launched during a pandemic has led a Bloomberg contributor to claim that “it feels like the PS5 era has barely started” in an exchange on X (via Forbes), something many PS5 gamers will surely agree with.

And even if we don’t get to see the PS6 until 2029 (or later), it’s almost a sure thing that the current PS5 will be getting many more exciting games for players to sink their teeth into in the years to come, something gamers worldwide will be looking forward to no doubt.