Is the PS6 Delayed? Why Sony is Targeting 2029

The standard seven-year console cycle is officially under siege. While fans have been looking toward 2027 as the natural arrival for the next generation of gaming, recent reports from Bloomberg suggest that Sony Group Corp. is internally weighing a significant delay. The PlayStation 6 (PS6) could now be pushed as far back as 2028 or even 2029. Check out the reason behind the PS6 Delayed below.

This isn’t just a minor scheduling tweak—it’s a reaction to a “structural imbalance” in the global tech economy that experts are calling “RAMmageddon.”

Is PS6 Delayed? The “RAMmageddon” Crisis

The primary catalyst for this potential delay is a brutal global shortage of memory chips. In 2026, the tech landscape is dominated by the massive infrastructure builds of AI giants like OpenAI, Alphabet (Google), and Amazon. These companies are buying up high-end DRAM and High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) at a volume and price point that consumer electronics simply cannot match.

Skyrocketing Costs: DRAM prices reportedly surged by 75% between December 2025 and January 2026 alone.
Production Pivot: Major manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have shifted their production lines toward AI-specific chips, which offer much higher profit margins than the standard memory used in home consoles.
The $1,000 Console Fear: Industry analysts warn that if Sony launched the PS6 in 2027, the cost of components would force a retail price exceeding $700–$800, potentially alienating the mass market.

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Extending the PS5 Lifecycle

With the hardware market in flux, Sony’s strategy has shifted toward “monetizing the install base.” Sony CFO Lin Tao recently noted that while PS5 hardware sales are naturally tapering off as the console enters its “latter stage,” software revenue and PlayStation Network (PSN) engagement are hitting record highs.

By pushing the PS6 to 2029, Sony can:

Wait for Stability: Allow the global semiconductor market to stabilize and for manufacturing costs to drop.
Milk the PS5 Pro: Give the PS5 Pro (launched in late 2025) more breathing room to act as the “premium” bridge for the next four years.
Leverage GTA VI: With Grand Theft Auto VI expected to drive massive hardware sales in the near term, Sony feels less pressure to rush a new generation to market.

A New Kind of Console Leap

Waiting until 2029 isn’t just about survival; it’s about the technology. Lead architect Mark Cerny has hinted that the next generation will rely heavily on AI-assisted graphics and machine learning.

The extra time allows Sony and AMD to refine “Project Amethyst”—a collaborative effort to integrate advanced AI upscaling (PSSR) and Neural Radiance Caching natively into the PS6 silicon. A 2029 launch ensures that the PS6 isn’t just a slightly faster PS5, but a “meaningful leap” that can handle 8K resolutions and path-traced lighting without the performance compromises seen today.

What About the Competition?

Sony isn’t alone in this dilemma. Nintendo is reportedly facing similar pressure, with rumors suggesting a price hike for the Switch 2 to offset component costs. Meanwhile, Microsoft is still rumored to be targeting 2027 for its next Xbox. If Microsoft moves first, Sony may find itself in a high-stakes game of chicken: risk being “outdated” for two years, or risk launching an overpriced console during a chip crisis.

Gaming