that playstation 5 The era was off to a rough start. 2026 marks six years since Sony's console hit the market, and it immediately faced obstacles. It's taken a long time for the PlayStation 5 to finally be in stable stock due to supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the supply chain issues were resolved, the standard version of the PlayStation 5 remained on the market for four years until the next evolution, the PS5 Pro, arrived.
The launch of the PS5 Pro has put a more powerful version of the console in the spotlight, but that also means it comes with a higher price tag. Whether someone chooses one of the standard PS5 models or the PS5 Pro will depend entirely on preference, but gamers who want the best performance possible may want to buy the PS5 Pro sooner rather than later. Sony's future plans for PlayStation could be shaken by two major factors: RAM prices and PC ports. It's hard to be sure, but gamers who haven't yet embraced the current generation or are looking to upgrade from a standard console should think carefully about these details.
Our ranking of the best PS5 games to keep you busy for months.
Get ready for weeks, if not months, of exciting gameplay and memorable stories as you launch this must-play game on PS5.
Ongoing RAM crisis could spell trouble for PS5 Pro and other console prices
The current RAM supply crisis is impacting the entire tech world, but it's already having a major impact on PC gaming as well. It seems like it's only a matter of time before this affects console prices as well. There have also been reports that RAM prices will delay the launch of next-gen consoles. I hope this doesn't turn out to be true, but it's certainly not impossible at this point. As RAM companies continue to prioritize AI data centers, it will become increasingly difficult and more expensive for other technology products to access memory.
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Could the RAM crisis make consoles more expensive?
The good news is that Sony CFO Lin Tao confirmed that the company has enough RAM supply to last through the 2026 holiday season. This means that a PS5 Pro price increase is unlikely to happen at least this year. However, if the supply problem is not resolved, 2027 will be a different story.
A price increase for the PS5 console has already occurred in August 2025
- PS5 Standard Digital Edition – Price changed from $450 to $500.
- PS5 Standard Disc Edition – Price changed from $500 to $550.
- PS5 Pro – Price changed from $700 to $750.
Another PS5 price increase will upset many gamers. Last year, Microsoft raised the prices of its Xbox consoles twice due to tariffs and inflation. This increase, combined with the company's Xbox Game Pass price hike, has led to a lot of negative feedback from consumers. But Sony may have a plan in place to help it avoid a console price increase. Lin Tao mentioned a possible PS5 console price increase during Sony's most recent 2025 earnings call. “We plan to minimize the impact of future increases in memory costs on this segment,” she said. Installed base monetization priorities to date.” Her words were vague, but the most obvious move was for Sony to make PS Plus more expensive.
Of course, this is not a perfect result. Sony fans will still have to pay more somewhere, but this scenario keeps console prices stable, at least for now. The RAM crisis may persist beyond 2026, so Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will all factor this into their future company decisions.
As RAM companies continue to prioritize AI data centers, it will become increasingly difficult and more expensive for other technology products to access memory.
Sony withdraws PC port plans
A few weeks ago, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier caused quite a stir by hinting that Sony might pull out of the PC port. Over the past five years, some of Sony's biggest exclusives have come to PC. god of war ragnarok, the last of us part 2, death strandingand Ghost of Tsushima While these are some of the most notable, future single-player exclusives will likely remain exclusive to consoles going forward.
A Sony exclusive that was expected to get a PC port, but now looks like it won't
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Ghost of Yotei
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Marvel's Wolverine
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saros
thankfully death stranding Pan, death stranding 2 It's still happening on PC. That port launches on March 19th, but this port and the upcoming exclusive port Kenna: Cosmora's Scar These may be some of the last single-player Sony games to receive the PC port treatment. So PC players who have been loving the influx of single-player Sony exclusives will have no choice but to embrace the PS5 and PS5 Pro.
Exclusivity may be back in style, at least for Sony.
In recent years, the gaming landscape has been evolving and experimenting with new avenues. Xbox seems to be moving away from exclusivity. halo Its release on PS5 is a confirmed reality, marking the first time the series has been released on a Sony console. Other Xbox staples like fable, forza horizonand Gears of War Sony is also starting to pave the way for that transition, but it seems the company has a different outlook than Microsoft. If Sony cancels its plans for a PC port, console exclusivity will become more important than ever to the company.
Additionally, with expectations that the next Xbox console will be a PC/console hybrid, Sony's exclusivity will not only set it apart from the competition, but a PS5 or PS5 Pro will be essential to play the company's latest single-player titles. The next Xbox will be called Project Helix, and new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma said, “Project Helix will lead the way in performance and play Xbox and PC games.” Confirming that you play PC games gives more weight to the PC/console hybrid theory. So the Sony PC port could be played on Xbox in the future, and the former won't like it. Whether exclusivity is good for the industry or not is up to gamers. The future of the industry and console prices are truly uncertain at the moment. However, with the potential threat of a price increase and reports that Sony plans to return to console exclusivity, buying a PS5 Pro now may be the right move.
