… As reported on Reuters' Japanese site hat tip to VGC , Nintendo hopes the price increase will secure profitability "at the same level as the previous fiscal year", but of course, that might be challenging if hardware sales slow down. …
… "The supply chain shock of the elongated increase in memory and storage prices – both essential for console hardware – means that there is some inevitability to the PlayStation hardware price increases announced by Sony today. …
… Nintendo is not the only company to have raised the price of its hardware in recent months. In March of this year, Sony announced significant price increases for its PlayStation range , which saw the cost of a base PS5 climb by around £90 in the UK. …
… These pressures are likely due to hardware shortages in the global market, triggered by the generative AI boom which has resulted in ample stress on component manufacturers. These same pressures have already resulted in a delay for Valve's Steam Machine and price increases in the PC RAM market . …
… At the bottom of this page, Sony elaborates on why it has predicted a decrease in PS5 sales, writing: "We plan to base our PS5 hardware sales in FY26 on the volume of memory we can procure at reasonable prices and we expect hardware profitability to be essentially the same as FY25." This memory sho… …
… On the other hand, some investors fear a price raise - at a time when the average consumer is facing more financial pressure - could hurt demand for hardware: "I think they would be foolish to raise prices... …
… "If the increase in costs were seen as something temporary that would subside relatively soon, then we could have pursued other options, such as working to improve productivity and expand the installed base while maintaining hardware prices," said Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa in an earnings… …
… Per Sharma, this hardware will "lead in performance" , though when exactly we will see it remains something of a mystery. …
… Meanwhile, Xbox hardware revenue dropped 33 percent. This follows a price rise for Xbox Series X/S consoles in the US towards the end of last year, the consoles' second in six months . In November, Microsoft said this price increase was due to "changes in the macroeconomic environment". …
… RAM is the quick access source of memory in a computer, and its price has skyrocketed over recent months. In fact, back in November of last year, some shops stopped printing price labels so they could alter the prices daily. …
