Amid an ongoing global memory shortage driven by AI companies, will the PS5 console see another price hike? Sony isn't saying yes or no to that question, but it has confirmed it has a supply of memory to meet demand for PS5 consoles throughout 2026.
"As for securing a supply of memory, we are already in a position to secure the minimum quantity necessary to manage the year-end selling season of next fiscal year--October to December 2026," Sony CFO Lin Tao said (via This Week in Videogames). "Going forward, we intend to further negotiate with various suppliers to secure enough supply to meet the demand of our customers."
Tao added that Sony's hardware sales strategy can be "adjusted flexibly," suggesting that the company is aiming to avoid another PS5 price hike while also prioritizing "monetization of the install base to date" and further expanding software and network service revenue.
Currently, PS5 console sales have reached an impressive 92.1 million units. Console sales have decreased by 4%--thanks in part to a weak holiday season--but there was a 19% increase in operating income, driven by strong first-party game sales and PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Meanwhile, the AI industry's demand for DRAM memory is being felt across the gaming industry. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that a Switch 2 price hike was possible, and Valve has confirmed that the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller have been delayed due to global memory and storage shortages. On top of that, next-gen consoles like the PS6 and the next Xbox might not arrive until 2028, according to one analyst.
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"As for securing a supply of memory, we are already in a position to secure the minimum quantity necessary to manage the year-end selling season of next fiscal year--October to December 2026," Sony CFO Lin Tao said (via This Week in Videogames). "Going forward, we intend to further negotiate with various suppliers to secure enough supply to meet the demand of our customers."
Tao added that Sony's hardware sales strategy can be "adjusted flexibly," suggesting that the company is aiming to avoid another PS5 price hike while also prioritizing "monetization of the install base to date" and further expanding software and network service revenue.
Currently, PS5 console sales have reached an impressive 92.1 million units. Console sales have decreased by 4%--thanks in part to a weak holiday season--but there was a 19% increase in operating income, driven by strong first-party game sales and PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Meanwhile, the AI industry's demand for DRAM memory is being felt across the gaming industry. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that a Switch 2 price hike was possible, and Valve has confirmed that the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller have been delayed due to global memory and storage shortages. On top of that, next-gen consoles like the PS6 and the next Xbox might not arrive until 2028, according to one analyst.
Source