This is the first console generation to see hardware prices dramatically increase over time, with lead Circana games analyst Mat Piscatella reporting that the average selling price of new gaming hardware has jumped from $452 in January 2026 to $525 in June 2026 in the US – a staggering 16% rise in just half a year.
This follows years of gradual price hikes industry-wide, with Xbox recently causing yet more sticker shock amid Europe and UK hikes of over 30% on Series S and X consoles. Nobody's avoided price increases, and the AI data center-fueled RAM and chip drought behind this dire market is expected to worsen in the year ahead.
That's according to Samsung, which, per TechCrunch, believes the RAM shortage will only grow worse in 2027. The company, which accounts for about one third of the memory market, also anticipates supplies struggling until at least 2028, citing "medium- to long-term demand forecasts" from major AI companies.
Samsung was notably accused of coordinated RAM price fixing in a recent lawsuit that also skewers Micron and SK Hynix, the two other largest memory manufacturers.
A desperate consumer economy isn't bothering Samsung, of course. High prices are good for business, and it's all too happy to sell to AI companies. Its Q2 financial report notes "record-breaking quarterly earnings" for its memory segment, with "record-high server revenue mix" more than making up for dips on the consumer side.
"Continued industry-wide upward price trend," the report says of the latest quarter. Ain't that the truth.
