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PS5 was the only system to see its dollar sales grow in Circana’s August sales report for the US games industry, but that doesn’t change the fact that Sony console sales are down 25% year-over-year for 2026 as a whole.

In fact, PlayStation is enduring its worst year since 2013, when the ageing PS3 was poised to be replaced by the much more successful PS4.

The problem, as I’m sure you’re aware, is price.

Analyst Mat Piscatella reports that the average PS5 selling price in the US so far this year is an eye-watering $597, up 20% year-over-year.

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That’s a flabbergasting figure for a format approaching its sixth year on the market, and while the PS5 Pro is impacting that number somewhat, it’s worth remembering you could buy a PS4 with Marvel’s Spider-Man for as low as $200 at a similar stage in the previous generation.

It should be noted that Sony isn’t entirely to blame here; various global economical factors, including the rise in cost of computing components caused by AI, have got us to this point.

Xbox Series X|S’ average selling price has increased an incredible 26% year-over-year as well, and it’s currently suffering its worst US hardware sales in the brand’s entire history.

Meanwhile, PC shipments are down 20% year-over-year, while even juggernauts like Apple have been affected, with the Californian company forced to cut orders of the newest iPhone 18 Pro due to a lack of demand.

The real concern is that as prices rise, consumers are being forced to watch their spending, as commodities like gas and groceries soar.

Sony has said it’s going to search for other opportunities to monetise its players outside of hardware, but exactly how it squares this circle when the PS6 comes around remains to be seen. We’re looking at an extremely long cross-gen period without doubt.

Piscatella says the “US hardware market has not been in a more precarious position since the early 80s”.

I don’t believe a crash is coming, because gaming is simply too ubiquitous in 2026 for that to be the case.

But after a generation of setbacks, these next few years are looking increasingly difficult for PlayStation to navigate.

[source bsky.app, via bsky.app]