Sony Predicts PS5 Sales Drop as Memory Shortage
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- Sony released its financial results for the past fiscal year, including a forecast on page 13.
- Sony anticipates a decrease in PS5 hardware unit sales between April 2026 and 2027.
- Sony says its FY26 PS5 hardware sales will be based on the volume of memory it can procure at reasonable prices, and hardware profitability will be essentially the same as FY25.
- Sony attributes the memory shortage to the rise in generative AI technology, which has caused price increases for gaming hardware and supply shortages.
- Sony reportedly considered a price hike for a future PS6 console while Nintendo announced a US price increase for the Switch 2.
- Sony predicts an increase in first‑party game sales for the current fiscal year despite the hardware sales decline.
Why it matters: Gamers face higher console prices and fewer PS5 units as memory scarcity drives up costs, while Sony leans on stronger first‑party game sales to keep overall hardware profit unchanged despite the unit‑sale decline. Suppliers of DRAM see sustained demand from AI workloads, reinforcing price pressure across the gaming sector.
