Report: PS6 may be delayed to 2028 or 2029 due to 'parabolic' rise in chip demand

AI could be the reason that the PlayStation 6 is delayed until 2029, sources tell Bloomberg.

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AI continues to accelerate faster and faster, and companies are struggling to feed teeming datacenters. AI has driven up the prices of consumer electronics to all-time highs, as critical chips like RAM, flash storage, and GPU/CPUs are being diverted to lucrative AI contracts. As a result, entertainment companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo may now have to pay more to produce their unreleased next-gen gaming systems--and possibly even raise prices again in the meantime.

New reports from Bloomberg indicate that Sony may push back the release of its next-gen PlayStation 6 console by multiple years due to market conditions. Sony could release the PS6 in 2028 or even 2029 because of the AI chip squeeze.

The simple explanation is that Sony wants to make the PS6 as profitable as possible, preferably at launch too. Sony has gotten used to making a profit from its PlayStation hardware, and while PS5 profits have been impacted as of late due to the chip disruptions, and the PS5 Pro which has a higher BOM (Bill of Materials) than the other platforms, Sony always aims to make a profit on its games hardware.

If the PS6 were to be delayed, the plan is essentially to navigate these uncertain waters carefully, perhaps similarly to how it handled the PS5's launch during COVID-19. Over the years since the PS5 launched in 2020, Sony has released a multitude of console revisions that made the PS5 more profitable on a per-sale basis with each iteration, e.g. making the systems lighter to significantly reduce things like shipping and freight costs.

Sony is currently co-developing the PlayStation 6's new chip technology with AMD as part of the ambitious Project Amethyst initiative.

The PS6 will utilize new advanced AI technologies right on the chip, and Sony recently highlighted three of these new developments:

• Neural Arrays - Connects GPU Compute Units together for more performance through maximized efficiency
• Radiance Cores - Built onto chip, handles ray tracing features, frees up CPU and offers "significant speed boost."
• Universal Compression - Ambitious new tech that analyzes all data, and compresses all data where it can.