There’s no formal information from Sony about PlayStation 6, but the gaming community has already zeroed in on one topic: its price. A tweet asking users if they would purchase the PS6 at the $600 launch price sparked numerous debates, opinions, as always, were very divided. The gaming community is extremely split over this issue.
To start with, $600 is quite a large sum. The majority of the population are likely to think of this sum as a sizeable portion of money. Games would be sold for $70 each, and let us not ignore the fact that games would be additional. On the other hand, a next generation machine runner for likely 7-8 years is what you would be getting. So, for what you would be getting, the deal might just be alright? It is muddled.
As for some gamers, they have already demonstrated an unshakable level of commitment to the proposed pricing, without hesitation. Case in point: a certain gamer who excitedly exclaimed, “Hell yeah lol,” effectively served as the poster child for such unbridled enthusiasm. Another participant in the discussion saw value in comparing prices across the generations and stated with a smirk that she had paid $850 for her PS5, and that $600 would be regarded as a steal in comparison. Moving on to the ongoing debate regarding computers, a gamer chimed in mentioning that compared to the performance you would get from PC components priced similarly, the $600 console just “starts looking pretty good.”
The contrary viewpoint is also well represented. The majority of the replies to this discussion were firmly in the “no” camp, featuring terms such as “not day one,” “nope,” or the sarcastic “I still haven’t had enough of the PS5 yet.” Which, I must say, is somewhat justifiable—given that the PS5 is still getting optimisation patches and new games, and the PS5 Pro was just released at $800. So, why would you upgrade immediately?
Also, the question of “what the available games are” was raised a lot, as multiple people noted they would not purchase if a couple of essential titles didn’t come out strongly enough to justify the purchase. One person joked, “To play what? God of War Remastered? Last of Us 2 Remake?” which is a bit of a ‘truth bomb’ and a bitter joke combined. It does seem that Sony loves to remaster their games.
There is then the global perspective that many are ignoring. One user commented from Latin America to highlight the terrible trend of region-overpriced consoles—for example, the PS5 Slim that retail’s for $550 in the US sells for $800 in their country. Therefore it is likely that the $600 PS6 would sell for over $900 in many countries, which is ridiculous in light of the excessive pricing.
Regarding the disc drive controversy, one user valued the disc so much that it became a condition for purchase. That is actually quite fascinating all things considered, as Sony has been aggressively pushing for digital. The PC gaming crowd is also complaining that they would rather have a Steam Deck or ROG Ally than an overpriced console.
What’s really wild is how many people are still salty about the PS5 experience. One user said ‘After PS5, I won’t buy a PS6 even for $200’ which is some serious lingering resentment right there. Another said they learned their lesson with PS5 and would wait for a limited edition version instead of buying at launch.
And then there’s the Xbox comparison that somehow wanders into every conversation. Some users were talking about how if the next Xbox has other storefronts or something, it might influence their decision, but mostly it seems that PlayStation fans will remain loyal to PlayStation regardless of price.
The truth is we don’t even have a rough idea when the PS6 would be released — likely not until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. By then, $600 might not seem like a crazy price point considering the inflation that would have happened by then. But as of now, in today’s economy, it certainly is a source of worry.
There is an impression that the pricing of consoles is a bigger worry with each passing generation of consoles. The era of the $299 PS2 is over, and console gamers are now getting tougher choices of where they want to spend that gaming dollar. While some will always be day-one gamers regardless of the price, others are starting to become more cautious about making the leap to new hardware.
Most likely, the deciding factor will be what the PS6 delivers that the PS5 does not. A machine for less than $600 that, at best, offers minor graphical improvements and slightly faster load times is not a good deal, but if the gaming console market is suddenly introduced to an innovative revolutionary gaming feature that allows gaming in ways that nobody has imagines before, anything is possible.
Currently, needless to say, the heated conversation is constantly revolving around the anticipation of the price, and it seems to be a consensus that Sony would have to do significant work to justify the price whenever they decide to reveal the next console. Gamers are tighter with their finances than they have ever been, and $600 is a hefty price tag for something that might not even have games worth playing at launch. Speculation aside, this discussion will undoubtedly go on for a longer time.
