Switch 2 pricing and next PlayStation release could be impacted by memory shortage

Sony and Nintendo are reportedly feeling squeezed by RAM shortages as demand from AI data centers takes up an increasing share of memory chip production. In response to rising costs and dwindling chip supplies, Sony is considering pushing back the release of its next PlayStation console “to 2028 or even 2029,” according to industry sources cited by Bloomberg, while Nintendo may increase the $450 price of its Switch 2 console this year.

That delay would be a considerable divergence from Sony’s usual release schedule, having launched a new console generation every six to seven years since the original PlayStation debuted in 1994. As the current PlayStation 5 console was released in November 2020, it would have been expected to launch before the end of 2027.

The memory shortages are also a blow for Nintendo, which pointedly did not increase the Switch 2 launch price last year despite Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Bloomberg offers no specifics for how much the price might increase. We have reached out to Sony and Nintendo for comment.