PS6 And Project Helix Could Lose Billions If They Cost $1,000
Analysts Claim PlayStation And Xbox Will Lose Billions If Next-Gen Consoles Cost $1,000
As the price of current-gen consoles continues to rise, seemingly with no end in sight, it’s really time to start worrying about how much their successors will cost. Those fears should scare their creators as much as those of us who plan to buy them, as according to new analysis, $1,000 consoles could cost PlayStation and Xbox billions.
38% Of People Will Skip The Next-Gen If Consoles Cost $1000
According to analysis conducted by Ampere (via VGC), if the PS6 and Xbox’s Project Helix were to cost $1,000 each, their respective sales totals could be as much as 38% lower after five years on the market than the PS5 and Series X|S have managed so far. That would mean 65 million PS6s, a lower total than any other home PlayStation console in history, and just 24 million new Xbox consoles sold.
This all might sound pretty obvious so far. Of course if a console costs so much more than its predecessor, it will sell considerably less. PlayStation and Xbox will be prepared for that. They might not be prepared for just how much less money they’ll make should 38% of people who bought one of their new consoles this generation feel like they’ve been priced out when their successors arrive, though.
According to Ampere, PlayStation and Xbox could lose as much as $3.4 billion if they push forward with charging four figures for their next consoles. To avoid that, both need to find a way to charge $700 and make it work. Ampere has some advice on how the gaming juggernauts can potentially make that happen, although despite savings potentially in the billions, I get the feeling PlayStation and Xbox won’t want to hear it.
How To Avoid Charging $1,000 For Consoles
Ampere has suggested three potential avenues for the console creators. The first is to keep delaying the launch of its next consoles and instead continue to offer incrementally improved versions of the current models, like the PS5 Pro. Think of it like how Apple handles iPhones. New models are released at a steady pace, but they typically only have slight improvements and a few new features compared to the previous model.
Option number two is one consumers are not going to like based on the visceral reaction to PlayStation’s plans for physical media. To keep console prices down, PlayStation and Xbox will need to aggressively make up the cost elsewhere. One of the ways Ampere suggests doing that is pushing “digital content strategies” even harder.
Option number three is my favorite and the one that makes the most sense for the gaming world we find ourselves in. Much like Nintendo has done with the Wii and the Switch, PlayStation and Xbox can offer innovation rather than graphical improvements. Look at games like Death Stranding 2 and Forza Horizon 6. If you need your games to look better than that, for some reason, then your unrealistic demands make you a part of the problem.
I’m unsure PlayStation and Xbox will heed any of that advice. There isn’t going to be a PS5 Pro 2, and even though the all-digital push will continue, that likely won’t keep console costs down. As it stands, the PS6 and Project Helix will arrive in 2028, and predicting they will cost $1,000 each is likely ambitious.