A new report claims that the new PlayStation 6 console might not launch until 2029 due to the rising cost of memory chips.
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Sony has yet to officially announce the PlayStation 6 but it was widely believed the next-gen console had been due to launch at some point next year, alongside a handheld Nintendo Switch 2 rival.
However, a new report by Bloomberg claims that due to a shortage of memory chips, Sony is now “considering” pushing the launch of PS6 back to 2028 or 2029. “That would be a major upset to a carefully orchestrated strategy to sustain user engagement between hardware generations.”
It’s also claimed that Nintendo is “contemplating” raising the price of the Switch 2 this year due to the scarcity of memory chips, however neither Sony or Nintendo responded to requests for comment.
The lack of memory chips is being blamed on the rise of AI datacentres, as companies scramble to keep up with demand from users. It’s thought the shortage isn’t set to improve anytime soon either. Last month Elon Musk said Tesla had two choices: “Hit the chip wall or make [our own],” with other tech bosses warning the prices could become “parabolic” as we enter “RAMmageddon”. Over the past twelve months, chip prices have risen by as much as 172 per cent.
It’s already having an impact on the Steam Deck. Yesterday (February 16) Valve confirmed the “Steam Deck OLED may be out-of-stock intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages,” while the Steam Deck LCD 256GB is “no longer in production, and once sold out will no longer be available.” Earlier this year, they also delayed the release date of their Steam Machine.
“When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then. The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing.”
In other news, Logan Paul has auctioned off a rare Pikachu Pokémon card for a record-breaking $16.492million.
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