Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Console Makers Weigh Delaying Next-Gen Systems Over RAM Shortages

AI-driven DDR5 price spikes threaten affordability, pressuring plans for a 2027–2028 launch window.

Overview

  • Insider Gaming reports, via Tom Henderson, that Sony and Microsoft are debating pushing next-gen releases beyond the previously targeted 2027–2028 window.
  • Recent coverage links the squeeze to AI buyers driving DDR5 module prices up by several hundred percent and constraining availability.
  • VICE notes Micron will exit the consumer RAM market in 2026, a move that could remove roughly 30% of consumer supply.
  • Henderson’s report warns current PS5 and Xbox models could see additional price increases in 2026, with next-gen hardware potentially launching at far higher prices if schedules hold.
  • Offering a counterview, Moore’s Law Is Dead says manufacturers are expanding capacity and it is too early to know if mid-2027 production targets will be affected, though a 2026 shortage is expected.