Sony’s PS6 could be delayed to 2029 because of AI claims report

The next generation of consoles might be delayed several years due to the great memory shortage, as Nintendo considers hiking the price of the Switch 2.

The worldwide memory shortage looks set to impact the price of many technologies for years to come, and that most definitely includes video game hardware.

Ever since late last year, the price of DRAM (dynamic random access memory) has increased due to companies like OpenAI and AlphabetInc. swallowing up resources to build AI data centres. This has left other tech companies to fight over the remaining supply of chips, made by the likes of Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix.

We’ve already heard how this memory shortage could delay the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft, but now a new report has corroborated these claims, suggesting we might have a three year wait until the PlayStation 6 as it only looks set to get worse.

According to a Bloomberg report about the demand for memory, it’s claimed Sony is considering ‘pushing back the debut of its next PlayStation console to 2028 or even 2029’ as a result. If the system comes out in 2029, that would mean the PlayStation 5 would go nine years on the market without a successor. Previously, there has typically only been a seven-year gap between consoles.

There’s no mention of whether Microsoft is considering the same with its next Xbox, but rumours have suggested that it will arrive before the PlayStation 6 – if enough RAM can be secured to manufacture it in volume.

Additionally, according to Bloomberg, Nintendo is apparently ‘contemplating raising the price’ of the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. At the moment, the base Nintendo Switch 2 console costs £395.99 in the UK, while the Mario Kart World bundle is priced £429.99.

Earlier this month, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about a potential Switch 2 price increase in light of the memory shortage. In response, Furukawa said there wouldn’t be an increase in the near future because it hadn’t yet impacted the company’s profitability, but if that changes in the next financial year, it may reassess the situation.

‘Price changes will be determined comprehensively, taking into account not only profitability but also the adoption of the platform, sales trends and market conditions,’ Furukawa said (via machine translation).

Furukawa also said it will take into account other factors beyond the memory shortage if it does raise the price, as the second and third years of the Switch 2 console’s life are crucial to its success.

While his comments suggest the Switch 2’s price will not increase anytime soon, Nintendo did raise the price of several Switch 2 accessories in the US last year due to ‘market conditions’, aka Trump’s tariffs, so a sudden increase isn’t entirely out of the question.

Sony and Microsoft haven’t officially announced any release dates or windows for its next consoles, but prior to this report, they were expected in 2027, based on the lifespan of prior systems.

A delay to 2029 would likely be welcomed though, considering how slow the transition was from the PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 – with the latter still having only a small line-up of exclusive titles.

Both Sony and Microsoft have talked publicly about their plans for the next generation. In October last year, PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny teased Sony’s next console would arrive in a ‘few years’ time’.

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