Hope for PS5 and Xbox Prices As Abandoned Hardware Brought Back

There’s hope that the world's growing GPU shortage might soon come to an end, which could put a dent in future PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S price inflation worries.

It’s no secret that PC hardware, RAM and GPU have been in very short supply in recent years. This has not only resulted in hefty price increases from the likes of AMD and NVIDIA, but also in the video game console market, impacting the likes of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The chances are that if you’re a console gamer, you probably already own a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. That being said, the shortage has made it especially expensive for those keen to upgrade their gaming PCs, and it’s fair to say that many may be concerned with next-gen prices.

However, there may be good news on the horizon, because, as brought to our attention by the X user @Wario64, outlet Wccftech reports that NVIDIA is bringing back the GeForce RTX 3060 in an attempt to tackle GPU and memory shortages. It’s intended that the graphics card will be re-released sometime early this year.

Could Console Prices Be Lower In The Coming Months?

Originally released in 2021, the GeForce RTX 3060 could be considered an outdated graphics card, but it’s certainly not the worst.

While it’s nowhere near the standard of the RTX 5060, it will still do a decent job of running most modern games on PC.

What’s more, given that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are powered by old tech, at least by modern gaming PC standards, it won't hurt current-gen consoles. If at all. At best, consoles will continue as they are, and with a bit of luck, we potentially could see reduced prices as we edge closer to the next-gen.

NVIDIA is reportedly bringing back the GeForce RTX 3060 In Q1 2026 to tackle current-gen GPU & memory shortages https://t.co/Vq5B6KJFF4 pic.twitter.com/pHE0qasRGl

— Wario64 (@Wario64) January 5, 2026

Cost of Living Crisis 2.0

On the flip side, as we’ve seen with gas, electricity and shopping prices and everything else in between, once industry has the perfect excuse to raise prices, there’s a big reluctance to bring prices back down, especially with lowered production costs.

“In February 2021, building a new gaming PC was very expensive because the 3060 had just been released,” tweeted industry analyst Daniel Ahmad.

“In February 2026, building a new gaming PC will also be very expensive because the 3060 will have just been released.”

As always, we’ll keep you posted if we hear more information on this developing story.