More from RAM price hikes: the latest on the global memory shortage
During an interview with The Game Business at Summer Game Fest, Xbox strategy chief Matthew Ball admitted to “underestimating” the RAM crisis, saying that demand for Xbox consoles “exceeds supply.” It’s pushing Xbox to re-evaluate its plans for its next-gen Helix console:
“We are working very hard to rethink everything that we can about Helix, which is a console we are committed to shipping, and we are very cognisant of the ways in which we need to change as a company to make sure it is affordable, to make sure that it’s flexible.”
As Bloomberg reports, SK Hynix chairman Chey Tae-won says the company will do “whatever it requires” to expand chip production, but that will take years. So, unfortunately for anyone trying to buy a Steam Deck or build a gaming PC right now, the RAM shortage probably isn’t ending anytime soon.
We already knew that the RAM crisis would affect pricing for Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine console, but several hundred dollar price hikes for the Steam Deck don’t give us much hope for affordability.
illusiveman:
Well, this doesn’t bode well for the Steam Machine.
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This 3.5-hour GamersNexus video makes me wonder. We knew tariffs, RAM prices, and oil prices were scaring buyers away, but it’s something different to watch a Cooler Master guy, standing in a warehouse full of unsold PC cases, dish for 30 minutes straight — or see how Thermal Grizzly’s thermal paste sales have cratered.
You know how only one company in the entire world makes the machine that makes the world’s most advanced chips — and only three companies control the world’s supply of RAM? Reuters reports that Big Tech is trying to buy Big RAM’s favor in exchange for some of those machines, among other “unprecedented” offers.
AYN is sending emails to consumers who ordered the Ultra version of its Odin 3 Android handheld letting them know it has cancelled the configuration with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage due to a supply shortage, as spotted by Android Authority. Refunds are being offered, or a discount on the 16GB/512GB Max configuration.
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After cutting the Mac Mini’s base model, Apple is now also nixing its 32GB and 64GB RAM options, along with the 256GB RAM version of the Mac Studio. RAM prices are likely to blame, not helped by AI-driven demand for the two small Macs: both computers currently have weeks-long shipping estimates from Apple’s online store.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call that the company expects “significantly higher memory costs” in the upcoming quarter. He added that Apple will “look at a range of options” to address the global shortage.
After suspending preorders for its $1,999 Next 2 handheld because the rising cost of storage made it too expensive to build, Ayaneo says it has been ”forced to increase prices across most product lines” as a result of the RAM shortage. It has also restocked several of its best selling handhelds including the Pocket DS, but in very limited quantities.
Nvidia is launching a 12GB version of its RTX 5070 laptop GPU, to go along with the existing 8GB configuration. Nvidia’s blog post explains how this will actually help supply during the RAM shortage:
In order to maximize memory availability, we are releasing the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU 12GB configuration with 24Gb G7 memory. This gives our partners access to an additional pool of memory to complement the 16Gb G7 supply that currently ships with most GeForce GPUs. The 12GB configuration will exist alongside the current 8GB configuration, and allows our partners to bring a broader range of GeForce RTX 5070 laptops to consumers.
The dual-screen Zenbook Duo I reviewed in January was said to cost $2,399.99 with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H. Now preorders are open, but a base model costs $2,499.99 and the 388H configuration I tested will be $2,699.99. Ouch.
We reached out to Asus for the reason, but company reps did not immediately reply. Seems like RAMageddon claims another.
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Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) review: twice as nice — for a price
