SirPentious
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- Joined
- Mar 16, 2026
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So.... here's the thing: a few days ago, Sony has announced that PS5 will have a significant price increase in all the world. Basically increasing of 100 euros/dollars/converted amount whatever other valute for every model. This is pretty much due to several things that the world is facing recentely, between the Tariffs, the scarcity of materials for the RAMs and other things I think I don't think I should mention here.
The question is: will this cause problems to the sales of videogames eventually and make the industry face another crisis like the one of the 80s? In my opinion, yes and no. Yes because I feel that the extremely high prices of the consoles will make people hesitant in buying them, and I don't see things being different when PS6 and Project Helix will release eventually. No because I think there are still way too many millions of consoles in the houses of people right now, that will still make the games themself selling well (even if several reach the 80 dollars/euros, there are still many others less expensive). Also Steam is in full activity peaks of over 40 millions of users playing games every day. They'll be fine.
The only question is: how will the hardware perform from this point onward? This problem still remain, even thought for understandeable reasons, the consoles are away too expensive right now, and this makes them really hard to sell, and even thought this year GTA VI will come out, at this point I think it will sell more for the consoles already installed, than the ones that it will make sell, as I think it will hardly pull the hardware now (like, come on, how many people would spend over 700 euros/dollars for a single game). The only one that I see doing decently well for the next years, paradoxally, is Switch 2, which is currently the most affordable console on the market (not counting its predecessor and... uhm... Series S), and the recent ports of REquiem, MHS3 and Kena have proven it's powerful enough to run most of the third party games that are being made in recent years (althought, I don't really think it can run GTA VI sadly). And even if eventually it will get a price raise as well, I think it won't be as high as the recent PS5 one, so even if it happens, it will still remain the most affordable console, and as such, it will potentially remain the one performing better in sales (and if Nate is right about the Nintendo's lineup of this year, I can see a further bump in the sales, eventually also increased when Pokemon Wind/Waves releases next year). So I think compared to the others, Switch 2 will be fine in the next years.
Long story short: despite the price increase of the hardware, videogames themself will not face an gloomy time, but hardware itself, outside of Switch 2 will struggle a lot.
What do you think about it? How do you see the future of videogames after the problems the world is facing right now?
The question is: will this cause problems to the sales of videogames eventually and make the industry face another crisis like the one of the 80s? In my opinion, yes and no. Yes because I feel that the extremely high prices of the consoles will make people hesitant in buying them, and I don't see things being different when PS6 and Project Helix will release eventually. No because I think there are still way too many millions of consoles in the houses of people right now, that will still make the games themself selling well (even if several reach the 80 dollars/euros, there are still many others less expensive). Also Steam is in full activity peaks of over 40 millions of users playing games every day. They'll be fine.
The only question is: how will the hardware perform from this point onward? This problem still remain, even thought for understandeable reasons, the consoles are away too expensive right now, and this makes them really hard to sell, and even thought this year GTA VI will come out, at this point I think it will sell more for the consoles already installed, than the ones that it will make sell, as I think it will hardly pull the hardware now (like, come on, how many people would spend over 700 euros/dollars for a single game). The only one that I see doing decently well for the next years, paradoxally, is Switch 2, which is currently the most affordable console on the market (not counting its predecessor and... uhm... Series S), and the recent ports of REquiem, MHS3 and Kena have proven it's powerful enough to run most of the third party games that are being made in recent years (althought, I don't really think it can run GTA VI sadly). And even if eventually it will get a price raise as well, I think it won't be as high as the recent PS5 one, so even if it happens, it will still remain the most affordable console, and as such, it will potentially remain the one performing better in sales (and if Nate is right about the Nintendo's lineup of this year, I can see a further bump in the sales, eventually also increased when Pokemon Wind/Waves releases next year). So I think compared to the others, Switch 2 will be fine in the next years.
Long story short: despite the price increase of the hardware, videogames themself will not face an gloomy time, but hardware itself, outside of Switch 2 will struggle a lot.
What do you think about it? How do you see the future of videogames after the problems the world is facing right now?
