PS6 and Next-Gen Xbox Just Took Another Major Hit

The typical lifespan of a home console is in the range of 5 to 7 years, going back decades to earlier generations of gaming. However, things have been playing out differently in the modern market. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S both hit the stands in 2020, and their successors are still years away. While Valve has been hard at work on the Steam Machine, the console hasn’t been formally revealed. Even the Nintendo Switch, which got a long-awaited follow-up in 2025, was 8 years old and is still getting games.

There are plenty of reasons for this change in the industry, but one of the biggest has little to do with actual game design. Instead, a global shortage in an important part of the technical construction of consoles has caused the publishers to reconsider their original plans for their next generation of consoles. Gamers looking forward to the next batch of consoles have a long wait ahead of them, and it could be very bad news for one brand in particular.

How A Memory Chip Shortage Is Going To Impact Console Gaming

The tech industry as a whole is facing a potentially brutal memory chip shortage, which could have a serious impact on gaming consoles for the foreseeable future. Amid the surge of AI across the industry and an increase in data centers around the world, memory chips have been increasingly bought up by those companies. This has had a trickle-down effect all across the world, but especially in the modern gaming environment. The current generation of consoles has already been an unusually long one, with the PS5’s debut in 2020 showing no sign of being sundowned despite typical console generations lasting five years on average.

According to reports, Sony is now actively debating whether or not it wants to delay the release of the PlayStation 6 to accommodate that development, potentially giving the company a chance to respond and resupply. Otherwise, the price hike that comes with the limited number of memory chips would likely be passed down to the players — and could also limit the number of consoles available for players to purchase. The shortage is also reportedly forcing Nintendo to consider upping the price of the Switch 2. While the Switch 2’s woes are a concern, that console has the benefit of already having a great launch that helped make it one of the most successful consoles of all time. However, things might play out very differently for Sony, as well as competitors like Microsoft and Valve.

The Memory Chip Shortage Could Seriously Complicate The Next Console Generation

The lack of a new generation of consoles is a quietly big deal for an industry that tends to pride itself on being the cutting edge. While there have been plenty of speculations and rumors circulating about the PS6, the console’s domination of the current market reduces the need to release another console — especially if the console continues to sell as well as it does. Still, the console will inevitably plateau in terms of sales, meaning that a new console will become key to continuing Sony’s place in the market. The memory chip shortage is a potentially bigger problem for Microsoft and Valve. The Steam Machine has already been delayed in part by the shortage, which seemed to have been impacting the planned release schedule and pricing for the console. However, Valve has Steam and the Steam Deck to rely on for the time being.

The bigger concern is for Microsoft. The Xbox has been on the back foot in this generation of gaming, which is reflected in the ways Microsoft Gaming has been increasingly releasing its formerly exclusive titles across platforms. A new iteration of the Xbox could be a great chance for the company to infuse some fresh attention into the brand, especially if they’re able to offer pricing or gaming capabilities that the competition can’t. However, with the next generation of consoles seemingly stymied by the shortage, Microsoft might lose out on its ability to get the next Xbox out ahead of rivals like Sony and Steam.

The delays of the PS3 ended up being a boon for the Xbox 360 when they launched, giving Microsoft a time advantage that resulted in the best sales of an Xbox console. This shortage might put a pin in any of those plans, however, which is bad news for a brand that has already been dealing with dwindling support. The memory card shortage is bad for gamers who don’t want to break the bank, but it could be a serious blow to a generation of consoles that really need to impress if they want any chance of unseating Sony and Nintendo as the kings of the market.