The PlayStation 6 hasn’t even been made official yet and concerns are already piling up. While Sony has still not officially confirmed anything, an external element could weigh heavily on the price of the future console: a supply crisis in random access memory (RAM), triggered by a strategic change by the manufacturer Micron.
Announced for February 2026, this reorientation of RAM production could put pressure on the components market. At a time when demand is exploding in the artificial intelligence sector, traditional video game players, including Sony, risk seeing their supply chains permanently disrupted.
Why Micron is removing Crucial from the consumer market
Micron, one of the world’s leading memory suppliers, has announced that it will cease distribution of its Crucial products to the general public as of February 2026. This decision is explained by an explosion in demand in data centers linked to artificial intelligence. In a statement, the company said: “Data center growth, fueled by AI, has driven a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit Crucial’s consumer market to improve supply and support for its largest strategic customers in high-growth segments.”
The manufacturer specifies that this decision ends an adventure of almost three decades: “Thanks to a community of passionate consumers, the Crucial brand has become synonymous with technical leadership, quality and reliability of cutting-edge memory and storage products.” “We would like to thank our millions of customers, our hundreds of partners and all the members of the Micron team who have supported the Crucial adventure over the last 29 years.”
RAM, the Achilles heel of the PS6?
The impact for future PlayStation models could be major. Although Sony has secured the stocks necessary to maintain a stable price on the PS5 and its Pro version, the PlayStation 6 has not yet entered the production phase. Closing the Crucial channel could therefore complicate supply and force the company to turn to more expensive suppliers.
Micron is not the only one involved: OpenAI has already ordered more than 40% of the RAM available in the world, with the help of partners like Samsung. In this context of planned shortage, the console market becomes a secondary customer, less priority than that of data centers.
Will Sony have to make a strategic choice?
Faced with this situation, Sony could find itself at a delicate crossroads. Should it delay the release of the PS6 to secure its components at a lower cost, or assume a price increase from the launch? The post-COVID global context, marked by unstable supply chains and an economic war on semiconductors, is not working in its favor.
Back in the days of the PS5, shortages had already prevented many gamers from getting a console for over a year. Repeating this scenario with the PS6 would be a blow to the brand’s image and its lead over Microsoft.
And meanwhile, Xbox is moving forward with its hybrid project
Microsoft has not yet reacted to Micron’s announcement, but is preparing a strategic alternative behind the scenes: a hybrid system combining console and PC. A way to get around hardware shortages by focusing on the cloud and modularity? The approach is still vague, but it contrasts with Sony’s more classic model.
It remains to be seen who will manage to deliver their machine on time, without price explosions. For gamers, one thing is certain: tomorrow’s consoles will no longer be dictated by design or raw power, but by access to memory that has become as precious as it is elusive.