在 2026 年的前 3 个月，全球大环境变得异常波动：1 月的一场冬季风暴冻结了美国大部分地区的运作，2 月最高法院裁定推翻了全面的全球关税，到 3 月伊朗冲突又为贸易增加了新的障碍与不确定性。在这种背景下，Sony 周五表示，将把其顶级 PlayStation 5 Pro 的价格上调 150 美元至 900 美元，并把标准版 PS5 提高到 650 美元；对一款已经 5 岁的主机来说，这是个惊人之举，通常它应该沿著价格曲线往下走，而不是往上。
文章指出，AI 资料中心几乎吸走了所有可用的先进矽晶片，尤其是记忆体成本上升得快到足以改变消费级硬体经济。TD Cowen 分析师 Doug Creutz 表示，记忆体每台可能增加多达 100 美元的额外制造成本，迫使企业在提高零售价格与承受更大亏损之间做选择。他指出，Microsoft 已经提高了价格，Nintendo 也很可能跟进；而 PC 和显示卡市场已经显示出 AI 驱动需求的影响，其中 Nvidia 显示卡是最早受到更高价格冲击的游戏产品之一。
其影响不只扩及主机：Oppo 和 Vivo 已经释出手机价格上调的讯号，IDC 说售价在 100 美元或以下的手机如今已无利可图，Apple 也正透过更隐性地涨价以及取消低规格机型来应对，包括新的 MacBook Air 版本，起始即配备 512 GB 或更多记忆体。尽管 Creutz 认为游戏产业仍在健康成长，但它依然充满波动，Epic Games 裁员超过 1,000 人，Sony 在 2 月关闭了 Bluepoint，而 Ubisoft 1 月的重组让其股价在 1 天内下跌 40%。Circana 分析师 Mat Piscatella 警告，1,000 美元以上的硬体定价最早在 2027 年或 2028 年就有可能出现，凸显如果当前情势持续或恶化，市场中几乎没有多少确定性。
In the first 3 months of 2026, the global backdrop has turned unusually volatile: a January winter storm froze operations across much of the US, February’s Supreme Court ruling struck down sweeping global tariffs, and by March the Iran conflict was adding fresh barriers and uncertainty to trade. Against that backdrop, Sony said on Friday it would raise the price of its top-tier PlayStation 5 Pro by $150 to $900 and lift the standard PS5 to $650, a striking move for a 5-year-old console that normally would be moving down the price curve rather than up.
The article argues that AI data centers are absorbing nearly all available advanced silicon, and that memory costs in particular are rising fast enough to change consumer hardware economics. TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz said memory could add as much as $100 in extra manufacturing cost per unit, forcing firms to choose between higher retail prices and larger losses. He noted that Microsoft has already raised prices and that Nintendo is likely to follow, while PC and graphics-card markets have already shown the effect of AI-driven demand, with Nvidia cards among the first gaming products hit by higher prices.
The implications spread beyond consoles: Oppo and Vivo have already signaled higher smartphone prices, IDC says handsets at $100 or less are now uneconomical to sell, and Apple is responding with subtler increases and by eliminating lower-spec models, including new MacBook Air versions starting at 512 GB of memory or more. The games sector remains volatile despite Creutz’s view that it is still growing at a healthy clip, with Epic Games laying off more than 1,000 people, Sony closing Bluepoint in February, and Ubisoft’s January reorganization sending its shares down 40% in 1 day. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella warned that $1,000-plus hardware pricing is plausible as soon as 2027 or 2028, underscoring how little certainty exists in the market if current conditions persist or worsen.