We've seen the Xbox rise in price quite a bit over the past few years. Alongside the increase of Xbox Game Pass, we're also seeing it become more expensive to buy an Xbox in the first place. Microsoft has cited the global financial market in the past as a reason to boost the Xbox Series consoles up by about $50, but now there may be another reason behind console prices going up.
As pointed out by YouTuber and leaker Moore's Law is Dead (via TheGamePost), the world is facing a bit of a RAM crisis right now, with OpenAI looking to scoop up about 40% of the world's total DRAM output. This has led to panic buying of RAM, and a lot of prices have already surged.
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RAM shortages will reportedly affect Xbox "very soon," according to the leaker's sources. Moore's Law is Dead claims Microsoft didn't plan for the shortages and that they'll have an impact "sooner rather than later."
At a time where Xbox and hardware already aren't the best pairing, it seems things could just get tougher for Microsoft trying to sell Xbox Series X/S consoles to gamers. The PS5, on the other hand, should be pretty safe, according to Moore's Law is Dead, as Sony thought ahead and bought up enough DRAM to keep them afloat for months.