No console-flation: how the thirst for AI chips is sending games console prices soaring

What happened

According to The Guardian, No console-flation: how the thirst for AI chips is sending games console prices soaring reports that AI datacentres, memory scarcity and factory capacity are costing consumers –and console makers • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here It was once a truth universally acknowledged that an ageing console in possession of good revenue must be in line for a price reduction. Those days may be over. In March, Sony announced a price increase of £90 for the PS5, while last month Microsoft informed gamers that it would be charging at least £75 more for the Xbox Series S and X consoles from August. All three were first released back in 2020. The Switch 2 will also be more expensive globally from September. The main culprit, of course, is AI, or more specifically the exploding demand for semiconductors and memory to power datacentres. Console manufacturers could once source these components cheaply, but now they’re in high demand and manufacturers can’t keep up, so deals

Context

The development is part of VINI’s Technology coverage for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the publisher’s account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The original report is dated 2026-07-01T14:00:37+00:00.

What to watch

Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.

References

Original report: No console-flation: how the thirst for AI chips is sending games console prices soaring via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the report; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.