As Xbox and PlayStation Sales Reach New Lows, Analyst Says the "US Hardware Market Has Not Been in a More Precarious Position Since the Early 80s"
Circana said Xbox unit sales are down 33% and PlayStation sales 25% as higher hardware prices push average console prices to record highs.
- According to Circana, Xbox hardware sales plummeted 33% year-to-date through August, while PlayStation units fell 25%, marking all-time lows for Xbox and PlayStation's worst August since 2013.
- Manufacturers passed surging component costs to consumers, driving average Xbox prices to $529, up 26%, and PlayStation to $597, up 20% from a year ago.
- Circana analyst Mat Piscatella warned "The US hardware market has not been in a more precarious position since the early 80s," noting both prices are at all-time highs.
- Memory shortages driving these costs are set to persist until at least 2028, Micron's CEO warned, affecting nearly all consumer electronic devices beyond consoles.
- Rockstar's launch of GTA 6 next month could "help ease at least some of these declines," Piscatella noted, though any boost depends on pricing and "product availability.
11 Articles
11 Articles
As Xbox and PlayStation sales reach new lows, analyst says the "US hardware market has not been in a more precarious position since the early 80s"
PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles are more expensive than ever in most markets, thanks largely to memory components being gobbled up by AI data centres. Now, analyst Mat Piscatella worries the console market, at least in the US, hasn't looked this dire since the early 1980s, which was maybe not-so-coincidentally when the industry absolutely collapsed.
Sales to historical lows for Xbox and PlayStation in the USA, held back by high prices; GTA 6 could raise the market.A little over a month after the debut of GTA 6, the most anticipated game of the generation, the Xbox and PlayStation consoles are registering significant declines in sales on the US market.
The sales of video game hardware in the United States fell 15% year-on-year in August and marked their lowest level for that month in 13 years, according to Circana data. The decline coincides with price increases from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo; the scarcity of some components was also pointed out as a possible pressure on the offer. *** Hardware sales fell 15% year-on-year in August, according to Circana data, and marked the worst result for…
Circana's Mat Piscatella Warns US Console Market Is Most Precarious Since Early 1980s, As Xbox Hardware Units Crash 33%
The US console market is in real trouble, at least according to Circana's Mat Piscatella, who reckons it hasn't been this precarious since the early 1980s. In his breakdown of August's US sales data, the analyst revealed that year-to-date hardware unit sales through August have fallen 33% for Xbox and 25% for PlayStation compared to the same period last year. That puts Xbox at an all-time low in the US, while PlayStation has reached its lowest p…
US: Nintendo Switch 2 was best-selling system for August 2026, overall hardware sales at lowest since 2013
Recent sales data from Circana, which tracks video game software and hardware sales across the United States, has revealed that the Nintendo Switch 2 proved to be the best-selling hardware for the month of August. The Nintendo Switch 2 was followed by the PlayStation 5 console in second. However it should be noted that things… Read More »US: Nintendo Switch 2 was best-selling system for August 2026, overall hardware sales at lowest since 2013 So…
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