Gaming console prices are skyrocketing! The new generation reportedly won't fare any better

PS5 Pro for 900 dollars. Not long ago, such a price would sound like a bad joke, but today it’s reality. Last week, Sony raised the prices of the entire PlayStation 5 lineup, and analysts agree that this is a warning sign for the entire next generation of consoles. The successors to current machines — whether they will be called PlayStation 6 or Xbox Project Helix — are expected to launch at prices tens of percent higher than what we’ve been used to.

PS5 Price Hike Is Not a Coincidence, But a Strategy

The base PS5 increased in price by 100 dollars in the US, and the Pro version by as much as 150 dollars. Even gaming industry veteran Mat Piscatella from analytics firm Circana admitted that the extent of the price increase surprised him. And he has been in the industry long enough for little to shock him.

The price increase did not spare the Czech Republic either. The PS5 Pro currently costs 20,290 CZK on Sony’s official e-shop and Alza, with Mironet currently offering it for the lowest price at 19,290 CZK. Yet, in January, you could have bought the PS5 Pro for just over 16 thousand crowns. An increase of four thousand within a few months — that’s not a common price correction, that’s a new standard.

According to Serkan Toto, head of consulting firm Kantan Games, a calculated strategy is behind this. Sony reportedly decided on one significant price jump instead of gradual increases in small increments. The advantage? If the situation improves, the company has room to offer discounts and appear more generous. If it doesn’t improve, at least they won’t have to raise prices again.

Memory Prices Up 90%, And That’s Just the Beginning

The causes of the price increases extend far beyond the gaming industry. Joost van Dreunen, a professor of the video game industry at New York University NYU, points to several factors at once. Prices of DRAM and NAND memory have jumped by 80–90% since the beginning of 2026. Artificial intelligence data centers are buying up hardware in huge volumes, and supply chain issues in Southeast Asia further complicate the situation.

Add to that US tariffs. The Trump administration imposed tariffs that, according to van Dreunen, “disrupt the global economy exactly as expected.” Console manufacturers had warned about the potential impact of tariffs as early as 2024 — back then, few took them seriously.

A Thousand-Dollar Console? Analysts Disagree

Serkan Toto is quite straightforward in his estimate: “I think 999 dollars for one of the PS6 variants is not impossible,” he told GamesRadar+. Van Dreunen goes even further, predicting that the new generation of consoles will launch at prices 50% higher than the current one.

Piscatella from Circana is more cautious but no more optimistic. According to him, there is so much uncertainty in the market that neither the price nor the release date can be reliably estimated. PS6 could arrive in 2027, 2028, or even later. A thousand dollars? Possible. Cheaper? Also possible. “Current conditions do not allow for any certainty,” he summarized.

Xbox Project Helix: Microsoft’s Last Attempt?

The situation with Xbox is even more interesting. Former head of the hardware division, Sarah Bond, described Project Helix as a “premium” and “high-end” machine inspired by PC architecture. This suggests that Microsoft might not be willing to sell hardware at a loss this time, as it has done in the past.

Historically, the console business operated on a simple principle — hardware is sold at a loss or with minimal margin, and money is made on games and subscriptions. However, if manufacturing costs skyrocket too high, this model ceases to work. And if Project Helix fails, analysts suggest that another Xbox might not come at all.

What This Means for Gamers

A glimmer of hope comes from Nintendo’s example, which maintained the originally announced price for Switch 2 despite tariff pressures. The question is whether Sony and Microsoft can afford the same for significantly more powerful hardware.

The realistic scenario looks something like this: the base PS6 variant could range around 700–800 dollars, which is roughly 17–21 thousand Czech crowns at the current exchange rate after tax. Higher “Pro” versions could easily exceed a thousand. A similar range can be expected for Project Helix. Both consoles are likely to arrive no earlier than late 2027, but delays would not surprise anyone.

One thing is certain — the era of 500-dollar consoles is likely over. And with it, perhaps the idea that everyone who could afford the previous generation will be able to acquire the new one.

Would you pay over 20 thousand Czech crowns for a new console?

Source: GamesRadar+