Technology 4 min read By Alice Ashford
PS6 memory and storage alone 'cost Sony over $680'
A hardware leaker claims the PlayStation 6's RAM and NAND flash storage carry a bill of materials above $680 before the processor, cooling or power supply are counted, as AI data centres squeeze global memory supply.
Sony's next PlayStation console may carry a memory bill alone that exceeds $680 per unit, according to a hardware leaker, in a claim that casts fresh doubt on hopes of an aggressively subsidised launch price for the PS6.
The figure was posted on the NeoGAF forum by the leaker KeplerL2, who was responding to another member's suggestion that $680 could be a plausible subsidised retail price for the machine. According to the claim, that sum covers only the console's RAM and NAND flash storage — before the APU, cooling system, power supply and remaining components are added.
KeplerL2 has revised his estimates upward over the course of the year. In March he put the console's overall bill of materials at around $760, and by July that figure had climbed to roughly $960. The latest disclosure suggests the memory portion alone now accounts for the majority of that earlier total, underlining how quickly component pricing has moved.
Current leaks point to the PS6 using GDDR7 memory on a 160-bit bus, with support for up to 40GB. A 30GB configuration is considered the more likely option for the shipping console. There have also been reports that Sony examined reducing memory capacity as a way of containing costs, a sign that the company is weighing specification choices against retail pricing.
The pressure is not unique to Sony. AI data centres are absorbing DRAM and NAND supply at scale, pushing prices higher across the consumer electronics industry. The same dynamic has affected PC builders, smartphone makers and other console manufacturers, but a fixed-specification games machine with a multi-year lifespan is particularly exposed to decisions taken years before launch.
Sony has said nothing officially about PS6 pricing, and the company has not confirmed any of the specifications circulating online. The figures should therefore be treated with caution: bill-of-materials estimates are unofficial, can shift with contract negotiations and currency movements, and do not directly determine what consumers pay at retail.
Even so, the direction of travel is clear. If memory prices remain at current levels, a PS6 priced significantly above the PS5 Pro appears increasingly likely, and a four-figure price tag can no longer be dismissed. That would mark a break from the traditional console model, in which hardware is sold near or below cost and losses are recouped through software, subscriptions and accessories.
For British buyers, the stakes are considerable. The PS5 Pro launched at £699.99 in the UK, and any further increase would push the PS6 into territory occupied by high-end gaming PCs. A higher price could also slow the transition from the PS5, which remains the platform most players use and which Sony continues to support with new releases.
The memory crunch has become a defining constraint for the industry. AI infrastructure spending has redirected manufacturing capacity toward data centre components, and analysts have warned that the resulting shortage could persist well into the decade. For console makers, that means less room to manoeuvre on price and specification than in previous generations.
Sony has yet to announce a launch window for the PS6. Until it does, the pricing picture will rest on leaks and estimates — but the trend they describe points firmly upward.
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