The AI boom is hitting gaming hardware hard. Sony is considering pushing its next PlayStation console back to 2028 or even 2029, while Nintendo may hike the Switch 2's $450 price tag - all because AI data centers are gobbling up the world's supply of memory chips. According to industry sources cited by Bloomberg, the RAM shortage represents a fundamental shift in how chip makers allocate production, with profound implications for consumer electronics.
Sony just got dealt a harsh reality check about who really controls the chip market these days. The company is eyeing a potential delay of its next-generation PlayStation console to 2028 or possibly 2029, according to industry sources who spoke with Bloomberg. The culprit? AI data centers are eating up memory chip production at a pace that's leaving traditional consumer electronics makers scrambling.
This isn't just a minor scheduling hiccup. Sony has maintained a remarkably consistent cadence since entering the console wars, launching new PlayStation generations every six to seven years since the original debuted in 1994. A delay to 2028 would mark eight years since the PS5's 2020 launch, while 2029 would stretch it to nine - territory Sony's never ventured into before.
Nintendo is feeling the squeeze too, but it's taking a different approach. Rather than delay its recently launched Switch 2, the company may bump up the console's $450 price tag to offset skyrocketing memory costs. That's a tough pill for consumers already stretching budgets in an uncertain economy, but it beats waiting years for new hardware.
The root cause traces back to the explosive growth in AI infrastructure spending. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are building massive data centers packed with GPUs and high-bandwidth memory to power their AI ambitions. alone has consumed extraordinary volumes of HBM (high-bandwidth memory) for its H100 and newer Blackwell chips, creating unprecedented demand that's reshaping the entire semiconductor supply chain.
