Sony has stated it has but to determine when to launch the PlayStation 6, nor how a lot it would value, as reminiscence shortages proceed to hit arduous.
In an investor-focused Q&A gathering, Sony stated it offered 1.5 million PS5 models within the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2026, down from the two.8 million it offered the identical quarter the earlier yr. PS5 is now close to the 100 million offered mark, though it continues to lag behind the PS4. Sony’s projections for the PS5 within the present monetary yr are based mostly on the quantity of reminiscence it might safe at “affordable costs,” the corporate added.
All this comes because the PS5 nears its sixth birthday, and with the launch of assured system vendor GTA 6 in November getting ever nearer. GTA 6 launches on console solely, and is anticipated to drive a surge of {hardware} gross sales regardless of latest value will increase. The query for Sony and Microsoft is whether or not they can capitalize on GTA 6’s launch by having sufficient consoles to satisfy demand.
Sony, it appears, doesn’t count on a giant GTA 6 bump, forecasting annual gross sales at its gaming enterprise down 6% to 4.42 trillion yen (approx. $28 billion) resulting from decrease {hardware} gross sales. Nevertheless, it expects gaming revenue to rise 30% resulting from greater first-party software program gross sales, and the absence of an enormous impairment loss it recorded towards struggling Marathon developer Bungie. Insomniac’s Wolverine recreation is due out this monetary yr, and can absolutely make a major contribution to Sony’s efficiency.
Curiously, Sony stated its revenue forecast incorporates funding in its “next-generation platform,” which we in fact count on to be PS6. Sony raised the worth of the PS5 by $100 within the U.S. earlier this yr.
Through the Q&A, Sony boss Hiroki Totoki stated numerous elements had been impacting the price of consoles, however insisted that Sony has sufficient supplies to see it by way of the remainder of 2026. It’s nonetheless understanding what to do with PS6, Totoki added, as a result of reminiscence costs are anticipated to stay excessive through the 2027 monetary yr. Demand for PlayStation gaming stays sturdy, Totoki stated, with a rising variety of lively customers on the platform, so the corporate has a certain quantity of respiratory room earlier than it has to introduce the following console.
Maybe probably the most attention-grabbing line from the Q&A was the suggestion that Sony is new enterprise fashions and merchandise to take care of the reminiscence scenario. It is arduous to know what this might contain, precisely, but it surely’s price noting that Sony is closely rumored to be engaged on a less expensive handheld PlayStation 6.
It’s additionally price noting latest experiences that Sony could must delay the discharge of the PS6 to 2028 and even 2029 on account of the AI-fueled chip disaster. In January, an analyst report advised that Sony could push the launch of the PS6 past 2028 and lengthen the PS5 lifecycle. David Gibson, senior analyst at MST worldwide who focuses on recreation and tech corporations, predicted that “rising reminiscence costs won’t impression short-term efficiency because of Sony’s current stock.” Nevertheless, he famous that elevated reminiscence prices may change into a difficulty for Sony within the subsequent fiscal yr (ending in March 2027), saying “Sony would possibly cross future value will increase onto shoppers.”
Microsoft, in the meantime, has gone forward and introduced Mission Helix, its next-gen Xbox console, though it isn’t anticipated to launch for a while.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.