According to Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the matter...Point outDue to a global memory shortage—primarily attributed to a buying spree by major AI companies—Sony is currently forced to reassess the launch schedule of its next-generation game console, the PlayStation 6 (PS6). Originally expected to launch in 2027, the PlayStation 6 is now rumored to be delayed until 2028, or even 2029.
AI giants scramble for components, making memory a scarce resource.
The report analyzes that tech companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are scrambling for memory chips in the market at any cost to support the massive computing demands of AI data centers, leading to soaring prices and tight supply of dynamic memory (DRAM) and related storage components.
This is a disaster for a game console that is extremely reliant on controlling hardware costs. Sources reveal that Sony's original hardware generation transition strategy is now facing "major changes." If the PlayStation 6 is to be launched at the original time, it will inevitably face the dilemma of excessively high costs (leading to exorbitant pricing) or no stock to sell.
PlayStation 5 inventory is sufficient, but the next generation is full of uncertainties.
Regarding the current supply chain situation, Sony CFO Tao Lin recently confirmed that the company has secured sufficient memory inventory to cope with the peak sales season at the end of 2026. However, he also reservedly stated that "hardware sales strategies can be flexibly adjusted." This statement has been interpreted by outsiders as suggesting that the lifecycle of the PlayStation 5 may be forced to be extended to fill the gap left by the delayed release of the PlayStation 6.
In addition, PlayStation chief architect Mark Cerny and AMD executive Jack Huynh revealed last October that future consoles may rely more on Neural Radiance Caching and general compression technology to reduce the demand for memory bandwidth, which may be a technological preparation to cope with rising hardware costs.
Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam Machine were also affected.
This wave of "AI memory crowding-out effect" is not only affecting Sony, but also the Nintendo Switch 2, which was just launched in 2025 and has already sold more than 1700 million units, is rumored to face price increase pressure later this year.
Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad points out that, caught between tariffs and rising memory prices, Nintendo may have to raise the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 to $550 (approximately NT$1.7). While Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that there will be no impact in the short term, he has also warned that if the trend continues, the next fiscal year will be full of uncertainties.
On the other hand, Valve's Steam Machine project is reportedly delayed due to a shortage of memory and storage components; Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S may even face another price increase.
