The PlayStation 6 is set to launch at one of the most challenging times for consumer tech, if not the most challenging. With the rising prices of components, RAM and SSDs above all, manufacturers are having an extremely hard time keeping costs down, and with a bill of materials that is now close to $1000, there's a very high chance the system will cost way more than most anticipated. Adding fuel to the fires of speculation is Sony itself, as the company heavily suggested in a recent investor Q&A session that it won't heavily subsidize the system.
"We regard hardware as the base for providing the gaming experience, and by offering products such as the PlayStation Portal Remote Player (PS Portal), we aim to provide experiences tailored to users' play styles beyond the living room, which has traditionally been considered the primary usage environment," the company representative said in reply to a question regarding hardware pricing and profitability. "As for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases, and we have already implemented some price increases outside Japan. At present, however, sales are proceeding as planned, and we do not believe this has led to a decline in customer demand. As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing."
While Sony not aiming to sell hardware at a significant loss isn't surprising, many have been wondering if the Japanese company was willing to go the extra mile to ensure the PlayStation 6's price wouldn't cross the $1000 threshold, which would price out a huge portion of the typical console audience.
The mention of the PlayStation Portal, however, is very interesting, suggesting that, rather than heavily subsidizing the PlayStation 6, the Japanese manufacturers could be looking at other ways to get gamers into the next generation without having to force them to play the exorbitant prices the AI craze is forcing upon consumers.
While the rumored PlayStation 6 handheld could be a great entry point into the next generation, although the component price increases will inevitably impact its price as well, another, more advanced iteration of the PlayStation Portal and better support for cloud gaming could definitely be the solution to the current market conditions which look like won't be improving anytime soon.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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