First RAM, Now GPU: PS5, Xbox and PC Price Rise Risk is Very Real
Topics: PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Xbox Series X, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Valve
Featured Image Credit: Christopher Pike- Getty Images
Topics: PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Xbox Series X, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Valve
PC players will no doubt know about the ongoing RAM price increases, making our expensive little hobby even more expensive, especially when you’re running a higher-end bit of kit.
It makes upcoming launches like Valve’s Steam Machine more appealing, and the pre-existing Steam Deck though the cheapest models of Valve’s handheld are no longer being sold.
To add insult to injury it’s not just RAM that’s skyrocketing in price anymore, GPUs are apparently following closely behind.
The latest information from Newsis says that both AMD and NVIDIA plan on raising the price of its GPUs significantly over 2026, terrible news for PC owners but it also has big implications for consoles too. Like RAM, GPUs are already pricey so this has all the makings of a disaster waiting to happen.
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Exact pricing is unknown but it’s believed some of the more powerful GPUs could reach the $5,000 mark, though I can’t imagine there’d be many gamers out there willing to pay that much, even if they want top performance from their games.
As we all know you never have to buy a GPU for your PlayStation or Xbox, they’re built into the hardware and the entire point of them is that you can plug them in and play without having to construct or tinker yourself.
Those GPUs have to come from somewhere though and both Sony and Microsoft used AMD GPUs for both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Both companies are also secretly working on the next-generation of consoles, with Xbox’s plans for the future being especially interesting, as rumours say its next piece of hardware will have more in common with a PC than a traditional console.
Speculation puts the launch year for the PlayStation 6 and next Xbox somewhere in 2027, meaning AMD raising the price of its GPUs could be catastrophic for their design and construction.
The only logical response from Sony and Microsoft would be to either find a cheaper GPU to use, which is unlikely, or charge more for the next-gen consoles. The latter decision would be devastating, as it doesn’t take insider knowledge to know that the next consoles we’ll be buying are going to cost a pretty penny, especially if they’re a huge leap in terms of specs like the next Xbox is rumoured to be.
We’ll have to wait and see what both AMD and NVIDIA confirm, but this could be a tough year for gamers across all platforms.