Media: Sony May Delay Launch of New PlayStation Until 2028 or 2029
Power-hungry AI data centers and the Napoleonic plans of their owners have triggered a crisis in the memory market. Because of this, prices for the corresponding chips have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, and now not only ordinary consumers but also manufacturers are suffering.
As reported by Bloomberg, Sony is planning to revise the launch window for the next PlayStation, and Nintendo may update its pricing policy this year.
Giants like Amazon, Alphabet Inc., and OpenAI are actively developing AI data centers, buying up a huge share of memory chips. Moreover, some memory manufacturers are completely switching to orders from AI giants, forcing consumer electronics companies to fight among themselves for the remaining, and gradually shrinking, crumbs.
We are on the cusp of events that will surpass anything we have encountered before. The demand that will form by the end of this decade will be higher than anything we have seen in the past and will, in essence, overshadow any other sources of consumption. Tim Archer, CEO of chip equipment supplier Lam Research Corp.
According to media sources close to Sony's management, due to the current situation, the platform holder is considering the possibility of postponing the launch of the new generation PlayStation to 2028 or even 2029. Such a move could deal a serious blow to the carefully crafted strategy of retaining the audience in the interval between console generation changes.
Meanwhile, at Nintendo, whose Switch 2 last year boosted memory card sales and created a hype-driven demand, they are also trying to find a solution to the problem. According to informed sources, the corporation is considering raising the price of the Switch 2 in 2026.
Representatives of both companies declined to comment for Bloomberg.
The memory crisis has also affected other gaming companies. For example, Valve was forced to delay the launch of new devices—they still haven't been priced.