The era of affordable gaming hardware is effectively over. Driven by persistent supply chain issues, memory chip shortages, and the shifting economic landscape, the sub-$500 console market is no longer a reality for the next generation of hardware.
With upcoming consoles like the PlayStation 6 and Microsoft’s Project Helix likely to launch at premium price points, industry trends suggest consumers will need to adjust to a new $1,000 baseline. Even as the ongoing RAM crisis begins to stabilize, manufacturers have little incentive to return to historic pricing models.