Analysts Predict Sony PS6 Starting Price Could Reach $1,000

A number of industry analysts are predicting that the starting price points of Sony's (SONY) PlayStation 6 and Xbox's (MSFT) Project Helix have just gotten higher, with a $1,000 price point at launch not outside the realm of possibility, Gamesradar's Anthony McGlynn reports. For example, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella told Gamesradar that Sony's recent increase to PlayStation 5 prices is "a bigger price jump than I had been anticipating, with NYU video games professor Joost van Dreunen saying, "The relentless effort by the US administration to disrupt the global economy is backfiring exactly as expected. Already in 2024 did console manufacturers signal that any tariffs would have a major impact on pricing. The cost for DRAM and NAND have surged 80-90 percent since the start of 2026." "It looks like Sony baked in potential future fluctuations and decided to go for one substantial increase in early 2026 instead of raising prices more frequently and over a longer period of time," Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of consultancy firm Kantan Games, told Gamesradar as well. "This strategy also gives them some leeway to lower prices and offer 'deals' if things surprisingly get better." "I think $999 at least for one variant of the PS6 is not impossible," Toto said, while van Dreunen agrees that "we're quickly moving towards a world in which a $1,000 console will be the norm, and console gaming will become a luxury expenditure."