Asus has announced price adjustments for its gaming devices starting January 5, 2026, citing shortages driven by the AI boom. Reports indicate AMD and Nvidia will significantly raise GPU prices this year due to surging demand for components from AI data centers. These changes could delay next-generation consoles like the PlayStation 6.
Asus, a major producer of PC gaming hardware including the $1,000 ROG Xbox Ally X, warned partners of 'strategic price adjustments' effective January 5, 2026. The company attributes the increases to the AI arms race, which has created shortages in DRAM, NAND, and SSD components. Executive Liao Yi-Xiang explained in a December 30 letter: 'These changes reflect shifts in capacity allocation by upstream suppliers, higher investment costs for advanced manufacturing processes, and structural supply gaps created by rising AI compute demand.' This announcement precedes the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Asus plans to unveil new products.
The broader impact stems from AI companies' massive hardware purchases for data centers. A Newsis report states that AMD will implement price hikes in January, followed by Nvidia in February, with gradual increases throughout 2026. These will affect high-end GPUs, such as Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 series and AMD's Radeon RX 9000 series. Notably, the RTX 5090, launched at around $2,000, could reach $5,000 by year's end. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that next-generation AI requires '100 times more compute' than previous models, while Microsoft's CEO highlighted insufficient electricity for installed GPUs.
Insider Gaming reports that console makers are considering delays to the PlayStation 6 and next Xbox, originally slated for 2027-2028, to allow RAM production to catch up. Rumors from late 2025 suggested AMD and Microsoft faced shortages due to poor inventory management. For gamers, these developments exacerbate the PC affordability crisis, as AI firms outbid consumers for scarce resources. Meanwhile, developers like Square Enix plan to replace 70% of QA roles with AI by 2027, and Ubisoft's CEO compares AI's potential to the shift to 3D graphics.
