What We Know About the 13-Year Low in Game Hardware Sales

Video game hardware sales have fallen to their lowest level in 13 years, and the cause is not a lack of demand for new consoles or graphics cards but a squeeze on the memory and storage chips that go inside them, according to a report from Yahoo Finance.

What does the report actually say about hardware sales?

The Yahoo Finance report ties the 13-year sales low to rising retail prices on video game hardware, which it attributes to a shortage of memory and storage components. The report does not break out unit figures by platform or region in the material reviewed for this story, and HTT News has not independently verified sales totals from console makers or retailers. Readers should treat the 13-year framing as the report's characterization until manufacturers or retail trackers publish their own figures.

Why are memory and storage shortages pushing prices higher?

Consoles, handhelds, and gaming PCs all depend on two categories of chips that the report says are in short supply: memory, typically DRAM, which handles short-term data processing, and storage, typically NAND flash, which holds installed games and saved data. When the supply of either chip type tightens relative to demand, the component cost embedded in a finished console or PC rises, and manufacturers either absorb the cost, raise retail prices, or both. The report links the current shortage to the price increases consumers are seeing on store shelves, though it does not specify dollar figures for the increases in the material available for this story.

Which gaming devices are most exposed to the shortage?

Any device with built-in storage and onboard memory is exposed to this cost pressure, which covers current-generation consoles, handheld gaming devices, and prebuilt or custom gaming PCs that use the same categories of chips. Peripheral hardware without significant onboard memory or storage, such as controllers, keyboards, and mice, sits largely outside this particular cost pressure, since those products do not rely on the same chip inputs the report identifies as scarce. HTT's gaming-gear desk has separately covered peripheral-side product activity, including DAREU's rollout of adaptive gaming peripherals at a Saudi exhibition, a category less directly tied to memory and storage pricing.

What does this mean for someone deciding when to buy a console or gaming PC?

The practical takeaway from the report is that buyers waiting for hardware prices to drop should not assume a near-term correction, since the underlying driver is a component shortage rather than a seasonal discount cycle or inventory glut. For shoppers upgrading an existing setup rather than buying new hardware outright, attention to the physical setup around a gaming station remains a lower-cost lever; HTT's companion guide to desk cable routing that survives a move addresses one such lower-cost project unrelated to chip pricing.

What remains unclear from the reporting so far?

The report reviewed for this story establishes the headline claim — a 13-year sales low tied to memory and storage shortages — but does not include manufacturer statements, specific unit or dollar figures, or a timeline for when supply conditions might ease. It is also unclear from the available material which specific console platforms or PC component categories have seen the largest price increases, or whether the shortage is expected to persist into the next console sales cycle. HTT News will update this explainer as console makers, chipmakers, or industry trackers publish figures that corroborate or add detail to the Yahoo Finance report.

The shortage described in the report sits apart from unrelated supply-chain and safety news this week, including a gold mine collapse in Sudan that has claimed at least 70 lives, which is not connected to the memory and storage chip market.

Where does the underlying report come from?

The claim originates with a Yahoo Finance article indexed via Google News, which this explainer treats as a single-source account pending corroboration. HTT News has not located a matching statement from a console manufacturer, chipmaker, or market-research firm as of this writing. Readers who want the original framing of the 13-year figure, including whatever context the outlet provided on methodology, should consult that link directly rather than relying solely on secondary summaries, including this one.

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