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Monday 30 March 2026

Sony raises price of PS5 as RAM shortage bites

Blame the growth in AI data centres

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Sony is raising the price of the PlayStation 5 by £90 in the UK due to what it calls “continued pressures in the global economic landscape”. Those pressures are largely believed to be the rising cost of RAM, or random access memory, which is a crucial part of consumer tech, including game consoles. It has faced explosive demand due to the growth of AI data centres, with some basic modules quadrupling in price in less than a year. The video game industry can ill afford this disruption. There have been major layoffs across the sector in recent months and consumer spending has plateaued. As ever, all eyes are on Grand Theft Auto 6.

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