There are so many leaks, rumors, and hearsay about the PS6 that it is easy to forget that Sony itself has only vaguely acknowledged its existence. Everything we think we know about the system, such as its full spec list, the fact that it will launch with a detachable disc drive, and even how much it will cost, is all unconfirmed at this point.
Even though the only thing I can count on — barring some cataclysmic event occurring, which isn’t as inconceivable given the state of the world — is that the PS6 will come out and that I am going to buy it day one, no matter what it costs. This isn’t the ramblings of a PS fanboy, either. If you are even remotely interested in getting a PS6, the smart move would be to get one as soon as you can.
The longer you wait, the more you pay
A few estimates are floating around for how much the PS6 will cost. Again, these are all based on leaked specs and timeframes, so they could be completely off. The most conservative estimates I see are around $550 (which is the current price of the PS5, by the way) and going up to around $700. Whether it lands at $550, $700, or even $1,000, I am going to do whatever I can to afford one.
Normally, I would say that everyone should evaluate their individual economic realities and how much value a PS6 would bring at launch before deciding if it is worth the investment. After all, historically speaking, the worst time to buy a console is at launch.
The problem is that times have changed, and those heuristics no longer apply.
Before this generation, new consoles had to fight for our dollars. Exclusives, new features, additional media functionality, and everything else were an attempt to get everyone to jump from the old machine to the new one while it was at its most expensive. In many cases, but not all, new hardware is sold at a loss or only breaks even for the company. They price them as low as possible to incentivize people to make the purchase and then start making the real profit on the software purchased over the course of the console’s life.
Eventually, the components become smaller and cheaper to make, and the price can go down even further to appeal to those who weren’t willing or able to pay the launch price.
All of that is still more or less true, except for a few key things that have resulted in not only the first generation of note where console prices haven’t gone down, but have actually gone up across the board.
I’m no economist or political pundit so I won’t try and pretend to be an expert on these things, but it all comes down to inflation and tariffs. As the dollar becomes less valuable, console makers start losing more money on each console sold. Add the increased tariff cost of even bringing consoles to market, and companies have no choice but to raise prices. It isn’t greed, it’s the economic reality. In fact, you could argue Sony is even being generous with its latest $50 price hike on PS5 consoles. Currently (and this could be out of date before I even finish writing this sentence), the tariff rate on China is 30%. The lowest cost PS5 was $450 and increased to $50, which is about an 11% increase, implying that Sony is eating the remaining 19%. And since all consoles went up by $50, the percentage increase only gets smaller with the PS5 disc version and PS5 Pro.
But at the end of the day, who cares? We’re the consumers and should always have our own interests at heart — corporations sure don’t. I just use this example to point out that prices could have, and very likely still could, be higher. For example, Xbox has raised the prices of its consoles for the second time this year alone, meaning the cheapest Xbox, the Series S 512GB, is $400, a regular Series X is $650, and the Series X 2TB is $800. That makes the base PS5 $100 cheaper than Series X, and the PS5 Pro $50 cheaper than the Series X 2TB, which isn’t even more powerful than the regular Series X.
What does all this have to do with the PS6? Well, everything. Even if the world somehow gets back on track and inflation gets under control and we’re not playing chicken with tariffs every week, I don’t see the games industry going back to the old ways. PlayStation and Nintendo have seen that consoles will sell basically just as much over time without a price cut. This has become the new normal, so why rock the boat?
That’s me thinking optimistically. In reality, I only see things getting worse. Whatever price the PS6 launches at is probably going to be the cheapest it ever is. That’s the reality with the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch. For the first time, early adopters were rewarded with the best deal.
I don’t think you should just buy a PS6 sight unseen as an investment. Wait to see what it can do, what games it will have, but most importantly, where you are in your own life. Tariffs and inflation affect way more than just video games. We all have to remember that this is a luxury hobby and not something we’re entitled to. For me, I know for certain that I will eventually want a PS6 so the safest bet is to buy one right away.
