PS6 and next Xbox could be 'delayed' and gamers are surprisingly unanimous about it

A renowned gaming industry insider claims the expected upcoming PS6 and new Xbox console could be delayed due to RAM price increases and gamers are surprisingly unanimous they would prefer to wait longer for the next generation of consoles.

While a PS6 has not been officially confirmed, Sony has previously said new hardware is "top of mind" and Xbox president Sarah Bond recently confirmed Microsoft's gaming division is "working on our next generation hardware".

But Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson reports because of the RAM shortage and price increase, we might have to wait a while before they release.

"From what we understand, the situation has led console manufacturers to debate whether the next generation of consoles should be delayed from their intended 2027-2028 release window, with the hope that RAM manufacturers will be able to build out their infrastructure to produce more RAM, thereby allowing prices to drop," he said.

There is a shortage of RAM at the moment because big tech companies have been heavily investing in it as part of the AI (artificial intelligence) revolution. That's because AI models require the very best RAM speeds and capacity to function as it should. The price of RAM has reportedly quadrupled across the board because of this shortage, with prices of SSD doubling too.

Henderson's report was reposted on X / Twitter by a YouTuber and gamers have had a lot to say about it online.

One said: "It's amazing how the PS5 and Series X are over five-years-old yet feel like they've barely started."

"I hope they do, honestly. We don't need a PS6 yet," declared a second. "Squeeze more juice out of this generation otherwise more and more people will continue to hang back on older consoles."

One said: "There's the silver lining for the RAM shortage. We don't need 'next gen' because this generation has barely even gotten underway yet; as long as PS4 is still getting new releases, we don't need next gen. Drop the PS4 and push the PS5 to its absolute limits before moving onto the PS6 please."

Another agreed: "I will say it again, no reason for a PS6 until 2030. We are good for a long time. Let the PS5 cook and make the upgrade for next gen worthwhile."

"This is just the beginning," warned one. "This AI bubble feels like it will swallow everything on its path making us get stuck in an era where every piece of hardware that uses any form of RAM and storage (phones, consoles, GPUs, laptops and handhelds) will either get delayed or come out with such a ridiculous price tag, it makes you question yourself where did it all go wrong?"

Another posted: "I hope they launch in 2028 or later."

"That's absolutely fine IMO, the PS5 and PS5 Pro could probably last us until 2030," one posted.

"Good," agreed another. "Release PS6 in 2030."

To be clear, the release windows for Sony and Xbox's next hardware are currently unconfirmed.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Naughty Dog's 'mandatory overtime' for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet shocks gamers
• The Elder Scrolls 6 release date gets major update from insider

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.