Due to the recent RAM supply shortage, reports noted that Microsoft and Xbox may increase hardware prices again.
To support more AI data centers, the demand for DRAM has never been higher. With the recent RAM shortages, reports and videos indicate that Microsoft and Xbox may have to raise their hardware costs again. This could spell more price hikes on the Xbox Series X|S, which has already gone up twice in the last 12 months in the United States. Sources also shared that Sony avoided the shortage crisis by stockpiling RAM ahead of time.
Microsoft and Xbox already bumped up the cost of the Xbox Series X by $100 back in May, while the Series S had an $80 increase. Then, another price hike was announced in September within the US. The companies also raised the price of some of their Xbox Game Pass subscription tiers.
As PC gamers and PC enthusiasts are in pain and jockeying for reasonably priced RAM, the gaming industry is being hit too. According to Moore’s Law is Dead over on YouTube, as spotted by TGP, there are talks about Xbox warning its partners that the ongoing RAM shortage could force them to increase the cost of their consoles again. “[Microsoft] didn’t plan ahead at all, apparently,” Moore’s Law is Dead’s Tom said.
“If you still want an Xbox for some reason at their current pricing, those prices could go up soon, or supply could just entirely dry up because multiple sources of mine have apparently been warned by sales reps at Microsoft that this is going to affect the Xbox Series consoles very, very soon. Sooner rather than later.”
Interestingly, Sony recently cut PlayStation 5 pricing for Black Friday. Reports pointed out that the reason Sony could do this was that they had already anticipated this RAM shortage fiasco. “From what I’ve heard, Sony planned ahead, bought up gobs of RAM near the bottom of the pricing, and thus they should be fine for months,” Tom continued.
As of writing, no one knows how much the Xbox price increase could be, due to the major RAM shortages. Neither Microsoft nor Xbox has addressed the issue yet, nor has it put out a statement. With the holiday season so close, they may hold back from raising prices until 2026. There is nothing worse than price hikes to sour the end of a year, especially since Xbox has been pushing the ROG Ally X and their many great games.
The RAM shortage scare began after OpenAI signed large, long-term memory supply deals with Samsung and SK Hynix. Because of these agreements, OpenAI could be using as much as 40 per cent of the world’s DRAM output. Other industries, including consoles, tablets, vehicle systems and traditional computers, must then compete for the remaining 60%. While the conversation in Moore’s Law is Dead focused heavily on Xbox, the issue could affect many technology companies and products this holiday season.
The video game industry has already faced sudden and unpredictable stress, and this is another layer of pressure. Data centres and companies that use AI consume large amounts of memory, leaving standard tech sectors scrambling for what remains. It is still unclear how long the shortage will last, or how its effects may extend well beyond gaming devices in the long run.
