As the global semiconductor chip shortage continues, price hikes for GPUs and CPUs may lead to both Sony‘s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft‘s Xbox Series X/S being even harder to purchase.
According to new reports from various outlets, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has announced an imminent price hike of up to 20 percent for its chips. The semiconductor manufacturing powerhouse supplies some of the world’s largest brands, including Apple, Toyota, and AMD, which happens to in turn supply GPUs and CPUs for both Sony and Microsoft’s consoles.
While AMD itself hasn’t announced increased prices just yet, the decision could be coming soon, meaning either that the already high prices for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X could further increase or simply that both companies will reduce the number of consoles they are producing in order to lower costs. Either way, it’s bad news for gamers who are looking to purchase a next-gen console.
Elsewhere in the gaming industry, the newly revised PlayStation 5 carries a significantly smaller heatsink.