Sony may delay the PlayStation 6 launch as PS5 sales remain robust, driven by steady game revenue and high component costs, analysts suggest.
© E. Vartanyan
PlayStation 5 sales remain so strong that Sony may reconsider the launch timeline for its next-generation console. Analyst David Gibson pointed this out, noting that the company faces no market pressure and is in no rush to release the PlayStation 6.
Gibson forecasts that Sony will post revenue of about 1.8 trillion yen and operating profit of 160 billion yen in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, largely due to steady PS5 and game sales. Despite talk of a shortage of major exclusives, software for the console continues to sell consistently, and year-end discounts have maintained interest in the hardware.
Against this backdrop, Sony gains room to maneuver: if the current generation keeps generating income, the company can afford to delay the PS6 launch. Another factor is the high prices of memory and storage—analysts believe the next console will need at least 32 GB of GDDR7 video memory, which would significantly raise production costs.
Earlier, industry rumors had already hinted at possible delays for new consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Experts agree that manufacturers might wait for component prices to drop and for a more favorable economic climate, avoiding a new generation that launches with an inherently high price tag for consumers.