PS6 RAM and SSD costs rise to “over $680” – claims leaker

The PlayStation 6’s memory costs alone already eclipse Sony’s retail PlayStation 5 prices – Leaker claims

DRAM and NAND memory prices are continuing to rise, and that has huge implications for the next generation of consoles. In the summer, the leaker KeplerL2 stated that the PlayStation 6’s BOM (Bill of Materials) cost has already risen to almost $1,000. Now, the leaker claims Sony’s memory costs (RAM+NAND) for the PS6 are now “over $680”.

If RAM and NAND prices don’t fall before the PlayStation 6’s release, the console will likely cost over $1,000. While Sony can subsidise the console’s price, it cannot afford to lower it dramatically. After all, any subsidy Sony gives will need to be earned back through game sales. The bigger the subsidy, the longer it will take for Sony to recoup its investment.

Right now, Sony’s RAM and NAND costs for PlayStation 6 exceed the retail price of a PlayStation 5 console. That alone should kill the idea that Sony’s PlayStation 6 will be a low-cost console. Retail pricing for PlayStation 6 will likely exceed PlayStation 5 Pro by a significant margin. Remember, that “over $680” RAM + NAND cost doesn’t account for the console’s CPU/GPU and other components.

(KeplerL2 on Neogaf)

Will Sony ship the PlayStation 6 with less memory than expected?

There are reports that Sony has considered shipping its PlayStation 6 console with less memory than originally planned. However, doing so would undermine the console’s generational gains. The system can reportedly support up to 40GB of GDDR7 memory (according to prior leaks). That said, many believe the console will ship with 30GB of GDDR7 memory. That would give the PS6 87.5% more memory than the PlayStation 5, giving developers much more memory to work with.

While a 20GB PlayStation 6 is theoretically possible, that console wouldn’t have much more memory than a PlayStation 5. Having 25% more memory isn’t a significant generational upgrade, and a decision to ship PS6 with less memory could haunt the console for its entire lifecycle.

The AI market is killing the console market

This is the first console generation to see console hardware prices rise since launch. This is especially true now that rapid AI datacenter buildouts have decimated the world’s supply of DRAM and NAND. This has made memory and storage more expensive, greatly increasing the cost of newly built consoles.

Sadly, these higher costs will hit next-generation consoles even harder. To deliver a generational leap in performance and capability, these systems need more memory. This means that price increases are unavoidable. Unless DRAM and NAND pricing suddenly plummets, the next generation of consoles will be incredibly expensive.

Unless AI memory demand suddenly plummets, it is hard to see Sony’s PlayStation 6 console costs lowering. Retail DDR5 memory prices are now five times higher than they were last year. This has had a ruinous impact on the PC market, and the console market has seen similar pricing pressures. Unless RAM and NAND prices lower, it is impossible for console makers to manufacture inexpensive next-generation consoles.