PS6 delay to late 2028 'almost certain', says analysis firm

Sony’s decision to go discless has raised a lot of eyebrows, as it looks to be the beginning of a trend. These steps are said to be cost-cutting measures, and all big manufacturers have succumbed to the skyrocketing component prices in this unstable market. An analysis firm has now shared that this change in strategy will surely push the PS6 to 2028, if not beyond.

The information comes from a blog published by Ampere, an analysis firm, and it states that Sony’s decision to go disc-less is indicative of a delay for the next PlayStation console. The blog explains that third-party publishers normally pay a one-time royalty fee to Sony for discs, along with incurring costs of the disc itself, as well as the cost of ‘assembly’ with the case and cover. This puts the publishers at financial risk even before the discs start selling at retailers.

With no discs being sold, Sony will likely have to adjust its royalty fee, but as per the firm, this cost will still be lower for publishers than the cost associated with distributing physical discs. Citing GTA 6 and its code-in-a-case strategy, Ampere believes that this will also become a trend and publishers could look to further cut costs by resizing the cases or even switch to pre-paid game cards.

For retail stores and the game trade-in market, having no physical media would mean promoting digital game sales in stores. This may prompt publishers to continue selling digital games in stores.

Ampere believes that these changes will result in the PS6 being delayed to the end of 2028. “First, we believe this almost certainly guarantees that the PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest. Ampere’s current expectation is that the console will launch at the end of 2028,” it says. It adds that the standard version of the PS6, whatever that ends up being, will not have a disc drive. There could be a disc drive accessory later on for older PS4 and PS5 games. This could also give rise to a physical-to-digital license program just like what Xbox is looking into.