The PS6's memory and storage alone reportedly cost more than $680

The PS6's memory and storage reportedly cost more than $680 between them.

That's according to leaker Kepler_L2, who wrote that "RAM + NAND alone is over $680" in a NeoGAF thread in which Kepler_L2 was replying to a forum user who doubted an earlier cost estimate and suggested Sony could subsidise the PS6 to launch at $680.

In June, insider Kepler_L2 - who has previously made claims about hardware that have turned out to be true - claimed the console's bill of materials had climbed to close to $1,000, up from their earlier estimate of around $760.

It follows Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Hideaki Nishino telling investors in June that "as a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses".

Kepler_L2 didn't say how they arrived at the figure, and Sony has not, of course, confirmed any PS6 specs or pricing.

We already know that console manufacturing is being heavily impacted by the ongoing component shortage, driven by the proliferation of AI datacenters, the war in Iran, and accusations of price fixing.

It's therefore possible that we'll have to wait a while for Sony's next console - a console that is very likely to ship without support for discs and go all-in on Sony's controversial 'all-digital future'.

Despite plenty of consumer outcry, the company has remained bullish in its commitment to scrapping discs by 2028 (the earliest, at this point, we're realistically going to see the PS6 on the market). It's also likely that Sony is going to push harder into subscriptions and cross-generational games.