According to the latest rumors, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s next-generation console PS6 may cost only half of Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox.Well-known hardware whistleblower Kepler_L2 made the above statement in response to a question on the price comparison of the two consoles on the social media platform.The question stems from a recent interview with Xbox President Sarah Bond, who said the new console will provide a "very high-end, carefully crafted experience."

The tipster estimates that the PS6 will cost around US$600, while the next-generation Xbox code-named "Magnus" will cost US$1,200, twice as much as Sony's console.He further explained that compared to PS6, Xbox Magnus will have approximately 42% more chip area, 20% more memory capacity, and will be equipped with higher-specification circuit boards and cooling systems.In addition, due to Microsoft's decision to support third-party stores such as Steam, it is unable to subsidize hardware costs through software sales, ultimately pushing up the price of new consoles.

It's unclear whether the $600 PS6 estimated price includes an optical drive.Sony may continue the dual-version strategy of PS5, or make the optical drive an optional accessory based on the PS5 Pro.We tend to think that price is based on having the optical drive as an optional accessory.

The tipster recently claimed in a series of posts on the NeoGAF forum that the PS6 hardware specifications have been finalized.According to him, Sony's next-generation console cannot compete with the Xbox Magnus in terms of configuration: fewer CPU cores, lower main frequency, fewer computing units, fewer rendering output units, lower GPU frequency, and lower cache and memory bandwidth.In addition, PS6 will be equipped with 30GB of memory, its handheld version is 24GB, while Xbox Magnus will be equipped with 36GB of memory, which will give Microsoft's console an advantage in "100% of games."