Once a cheap part used to provide computers and a range of gadgets with short-term memory, random-access memory (RAM) has shot up in price due, in part, to demand from AI firms.<\/p>\n
Prices for graphics cards, a key component of consoles and gaming PCs, have also gone up because of their use in generating AI content.<\/p>\n
But large tech firms have faced criticism for passing such costs to consumers – particularly when it can mean paying eye-watering amounts for products released years ago.<\/p>\n
X user @BlackPanthaa called the new Xbox Series S price, external<\/a> “absolutely disgusting”, while a Reddit user said, external<\/a> it was “highway robbery for a console released 6 years ago”.<\/p>\n Some fear console prices – which have essentially been raised across the board in recent months – could go higher still.<\/p>\n “This ain’t even the ceiling,” wrote, external<\/a> Windows Central editor Jez Corden on X of Xbox’s price increases.<\/p>\n Amazon’s gaming boss recently told the BBC<\/a> increasing hardware costs may lead more people to ditch consoles and stream games instead.<\/p>\n Xbox has also seen its own struggles lately, with owner Microsoft recently revealing revenues had dipped across its gaming division, external<\/a>.<\/p>\n