The PS6 could arrive as an all-digital console, however that shift may have an unexpected benefit: helping Sony keep its next-generation machine below the $1000 mark.
That’s the argument from industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls, who believes Sony could use the higher revenue generated by digital game sales and PlayStation Plus subscriptions to subsidise the hardware. His comments come as concerns over the ongoing memory shortage have raised the possibility of a much higher PS6 price.
Harding-Rolls, Head of Games Research at Ampere Analysis, argues that moving away from physical games makes financial sense for both Sony and publishers. Physical releases involve manufacturing, distribution and retail costs. Meanwhile, digital purchases through the PlayStation Store keep more of the revenue within Sony’s ecosystem.
With more than 80% of Sony’s game sales now reportedly digital, that transition is already well underway. A disc-free PS6 would therefore build on a trend that has become increasingly established during the PS5 generation.
The analyst’s concern is that a PS6 costing $1,000 or more would significantly restrict its potential audience. The next console is also expected to face higher component costs. In particular, memory and storage are likely to be affected by demand from AI data centres.
Removing the optical drive would only make a modest difference to the console’s manufacturing cost. However, Harding-Rolls believes Sony could offset some of the remaining expense by treating the hardware as part of a wider digital ecosystem.
That approach would not be entirely new. Sony previously acknowledged that it sold the PS5 hardware at a loss, relying on software and services to generate revenue over the lifetime of the console. A PS6 with no built-in disc drive could push that model further. Digital game purchases and PlayStation Plus subscriptions could provide recurring revenue after the initial hardware sale.
Sony could also retain physical-game support through an optional optical drive. This would allow collectors to connect an external drive rather than requiring every PS6 owner to pay for one.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions around Sony’s next console, including its final specifications, pricing and release timing. If the memory shortage continues to push component costs higher, however, the move away from discs could give Sony another way to keep the PS6 within reach of a wider audience.
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