Whispers of a potential delay for next-generation consoles have been circulating throughout the gaming industry. Rising memory costs—a phenomenon dubbed “RAMageddon” and fueled by the insatiable demands of the AI sector—were rumored to have forced Sony and Microsoft to push back their hardware debuts until 2029.
However, recent intelligence contradicts these claims. Emerging reports suggest that the PlayStation 6 remains firmly on schedule for a launch in late 2027 or early 2028.
This insight comes via industry insider Moore’s Law Is Dead. He notes that while the GDDR7 memory market is facing significant pressure, Sony is in no position to postpone. The company has already secured and paid for 3nm production capacity at TSMC, with chip manufacturing slated to begin in the second quarter of 2027.
Breaking these contracts would incur astronomical fines. Furthermore, Sony would forfeit its priority status, potentially finding itself at the back of TSMC’s client queue for years to come. The insider clarified that “fluctuating RAM prices are not a valid reason to derail the entire project.” Sony has already sunk tens of millions of dollars into the development of its proprietary APU, codenamed Orion, specifically for the new console.
Precedent suggests Sony is capable of navigating such turbulent waters. The PlayStation 5 debuted in the heart of a global pandemic amidst soaring GDDR6 prices. At that time, the company famously absorbed massive air freight costs just to ensure the hardware reached retail shelves without delay.
Source: iXBT.games