Sony Boss Finally Talks PS6 Price and Release Date

Sony still hasn't made up its mind about the PS6. Not the release date, not the price. That's straight from the top.

During Sony's fiscal 2025 earnings briefing, CEO Hiroki Totoki was asked how rising component costs could affect future gaming hardware. His answer was refreshingly blunt: "We have not decided the release timing of a new console, nor have we decided the price. So we want to really watch and follow the market situation."

That's about as clear as Sony has been on its next-gen plans. The company has talked about a next-generation platform, but it has never officially announced a PS6, and it definitely hasn't confirmed that a standalone PlayStation handheld exists.

There's a practical reason for the caution. Totoki noted that memory prices are expected to stay high through fiscal 2027 because of supply shortages. Sony is weighing different ways to sell hardware and plans to run simulations before locking in any strategy. In other words, the bean counters are still doing their homework.

Meanwhile, the rumor mill keeps spinning. Some hardware leakers claim the PS6 could arrive as early as 2027, but none of that has been verified, and Totoki's comments don't back up any specific year. Pricing is just as murky. One rumor suggested a potential PlayStation handheld could cost over $600, though Sony hasn't confirmed the device or its price. Hardware leaker Kepler_L2 later pushed back, saying a $600 price tag is "absolutely impossible right now." That claim came alongside comments about rising LPDDR memory costs, so treat it as a leak, not a sign of Sony's actual retail plans. The conflicting chatter just shows how hard it is to read Sony's next move.

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment America president and CEO Shawn Layden added another layer of doubt, this time about launching a home console and a handheld at the same time. In an interview, he said it's "really hard to sell two different hardware" at once. He pointed to the PSP's success, but noted that during that same era, "the PS3 struggled."

Layden's concern isn't about demand for a handheld. It's about resources. "It's not just development resources, it's marketing resources," he said. "You almost need to build two different companies to do that." His point is that two devices could split development and marketing muscle, especially around launch, and compete for the same internal teams and investment. If Sony does make a handheld, Layden suggests it might be smarter to focus on that "middle platform" instead of supporting two hardware lines at once.

To be clear, Layden didn't confirm Sony is building or planning a handheld. He was talking about the business and resource challenges Sony could face if the rumored hardware plans are real. Sony still hasn't announced a PS6 release date or price, and there's no official word on a new standalone PlayStation handheld. The 2027 PS6 talk and the $600-plus handheld reports remain unverified. Until Sony shares more, take every reported date, price, and spec with a hefty grain of salt.

What would you want from a PS6 or a new PlayStation handheld? Let us know in the comments.