PS6 Xbox Cost

The mass uncertainty that currently surrounds next-gen consoles will obviously have to be addressed by both Sony and Microsoft at some point, but until then, the two companies will continue to make vague — but still somewhat interesting — statements.

Xbox boss Asha Sharma is doing just that with her latest comments, fresh out of Gamescom. Speaking to the BBC, a couple of words stick out: "affordability" and "efficiency".

These are apparently two key aspects that Microsoft is exploring when it comes to crafting the next Xbox, currently known as Project Helix.

As you probably already know, the ongoing electronics component crisis means that consoles have become much more expensive to produce; that's the main reason why Sony jacked up the price of all PS5 models earlier in the year.

With that in mind, it's widely acknowledged that next-gen consoles are going to cost an absolute fortune. Some analysts believe the PS6 could break four figures, topping out at over $1,000 at launch.

So Sony and Microsoft must be exploring every possible avenue ahead of actually marketing these machines to the general public. They need to make them seem affordable... somehow.

"All of the industry needs to start to innovate on affordability and efficiency. That is something that we have not had to do [previously]," says Sharma, acknowledging the potentially massive obstacles that stand in the way of mainstream gaming.

But it's perhaps Sharma's next statement that raises an eyebrow. She continues: "With the crisis that's currently happening in hardware and components, it is absolutely something all of us need to be thinking about and innovating on and giving people more choice in terms of how they play their console and how they purchase their console."

Onlookers are already suggesting that she's hinting towards some kind of official payment plan for the next Xbox here, which could make the console appear much more affordable.

And it's a realistic suggestion, because for Sony and Microsoft, there's just no escaping these soaring component costs.

We might have a bit of an "affordability" battle going on here as we look ahead to next-gen, then. It feels like the success of these upcoming consoles is going to hinge heavily on Sony and Microsoft's ability to make their respective hardware seem reasonably priced.

What are your thoughts on the PS6, and the next generation of consoles in general? Show concern for what the future holds in the comments section below.

[source bbc.co.uk, via purexbox.com]