Sony is "Struggling" to Keep PS5 Production Costs Down

Sony is "struggling" to settle on a price for the PlayStation 5 due to high production costs. According to a report from Bloomberg, some components necessary to begin mass production of the new console are proving hard to come by, pushing manufacturing costs as high as £345 ($450).

The key culprits are to be found in the console's flash memory and cooling systems, with Sony focusing on the latter in particular to combat fears over overheating. Bloomberg's report says that the cooling system is "unusually expensive," costing Sony "a few dollars per unit."

The PS4 was reportedly produced for $381 per console, eventually going on sale at $399 (£306). While it's not uncommon for companies to sell their hardware at a small profit or even a slight loss, customers are likely to balk at a new console that's like to sell somewhere around the $450-470 mark (£345-£360), especially when previous generations have cost significantly less.

Sony tends to reveal its new hardware in the February before release, but the company also finds itself in a bind over the lack of knowledge about Microsoft's Xbox Series X, which will be its major competitor during the holiday period. Sony is expected to reveal its new console in the coming weeks, but Microsoft is likely to hold off until E3, meaning it still holds an important card over the PlayStation developers.