Ampere Analysis estimates that a roughly $1,000 PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix could cut the two consoles’ combined first-five-year sales by 38 percent.

 
The video game industry is watching the approach of the next console generation with growing concern. Demand for memory and other components has surged as AI data centers expand, already pushing up the prices of PC hardware, consoles, and other technology. In the current generation, the PlayStation 5 and the 1TB Xbox Series S have reached €599, while the PlayStation 5 Pro launched at €899, making the psychological $1,000 threshold look increasingly plausible.

Ampere Analysis’s forecast considers a new generation arriving around 2028 with a conventional design and mainly incremental performance gains. The firm estimates that if the PlayStation 6 and Project Helix launched at $1,000 or more, their combined sales over the first five years could be 38 percent lower than those of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S during the equivalent period.

Expensive hardware would affect more than console unit sales. Analysts project that the PlayStation and Xbox console games and services market could shrink by $3.4 billion, or roughly 12 percent, by 2031. A launch price closer to $700 would produce a less severe outcome, although affordability would still remain one of the next generation’s central challenges.

Ampere outlines several possible ways forward. Sony and Microsoft could extend the current generation, release further upgraded models, and postpone the full generational transition until after 2028. Alternatively, they could keep the planned window while using larger hardware subsidies, new monetization models, a more aggressive digital strategy, and more efficient sales channels.

A third option would be to follow Nintendo’s example by prioritizing substantial innovation in hardware form and use cases instead of relying mostly on better graphics. The final design, price, and release date of the PlayStation 6 and Project Helix remain unofficial, so Ampere’s figures describe a scenario rather than a guaranteed market outcome. Even so, the forecast makes clear how risky it would be to price the next generation beyond the reach of the mass market.

Source: 3DJuegos (https://www.3djuegos.com/ps5/noticias/expertos-coinciden-ps6-project-helix-se-venden-a-1-000-dolares-playstation-xbox-se-daran-golpe-que-todos-pensamos)