Once a cheap part used to provide computers and a range of gadgets with short-term memory, random-access memory (RAM) has shot up in price due, in part, to demand from AI firms.
Prices for graphics cards, a key component of consoles and gaming PCs, have also gone up because of their use in generating AI content.
But large tech firms have faced criticism for passing such costs to consumers – particularly when it can mean paying eye-watering amounts for products released years ago.
X user @BlackPanthaa called the new Xbox Series S price, external “absolutely disgusting”, while a Reddit user said, external it was “highway robbery for a console released 6 years ago”.
Some fear console prices – which have essentially been raised across the board in recent months – could go higher still.
“This ain’t even the ceiling,” wrote, external Windows Central editor Jez Corden on X of Xbox’s price increases.
Amazon’s gaming boss recently told the BBC increasing hardware costs may lead more people to ditch consoles and stream games instead.
Xbox has also seen its own struggles lately, with owner Microsoft recently revealing revenues had dipped across its gaming division, external.
In July, it initiated what executives called “the most significant restructure in Xbox history” with approximately 3,200 reductions across its workforce.
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