Sony Says PS5 Memory Supply Is Secured for 2026
Sony is signaling that PlayStation 5 manufacturing will not be immediately threatened by the ongoing memory shortage, at least through the critical selling period later this year. During Sony’s third quarter financial results briefing, CFO Lin Tao provided an update on the company’s memory procurement position, stating that Sony is already in a position to secure the minimum quantity necessary to manage the year end selling season of the next fiscal year. The comments were delivered alongside the broader business update shared through Sony’s investor materials at Sony IR, which also reiterated platform momentum including cumulative PS5 shipments reaching 92.2 million units as of 2025 12 31.
For players and the wider console market, this matters because memory has become one of the most volatile cost and availability levers in the hardware pipeline. Sony’s message effectively communicates that PS5 production planning is protected for 2026, with additional negotiations expected across multiple suppliers to secure enough supply to meet customer demand. The keyword here is minimum quantity necessary, which implies Sony is not claiming abundant headroom, but rather that it has locked the baseline supply required to avoid a shortage driven disruption during the highest demand window of the year.
This update also lands in the shadow of recent pricing actions. Sony raised PS5 pricing in phases across regions last year, beginning with increases in Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia in 2025 04, followed by a United States increase in 2025 08. Tao’s comments suggest memory shortages are less likely to be the direct trigger for another hardware price move in 2026, which is meaningful for consumers who are watching hardware affordability closely. It does not guarantee there will be no pricing adjustments, but it reduces one major risk factor that could have forced Sony’s hand specifically on the cost of the console.
Where Sony’s positioning becomes more strategic is in how it plans to manage profitability as the console cycle matures. Tao indicated that hardware sales strategy can be adjusted flexibly at this stage of the cycle, and that Sony intends to minimize the impact of increased memory costs on the hardware segment by prioritizing monetization of the installed base and working to expand software and network services revenue. In business terms, this is a clear statement that Sony is prepared to protect hardware competitiveness where possible, while shifting margin optimization toward recurring revenue and higher margin digital layers.
That direction aligns with what we saw last year, when PlayStation Plus pricing also moved upward. Sony increased PlayStation Plus pricing in 2025 04, as reported by Kotaku. Later, Sony reiterated that it would continue to adjust pricing strategy dynamically for PlayStation Plus to maximize profitability. Put together, the roadmap is straightforward: secure the physical supply chain to keep consoles moving, then drive business resilience through software, subscriptions, and network services, especially when component costs are unpredictable.
For the gaming audience, the practical takeaway is that PS5 availability should remain stable through 2026 if Sony’s supply positioning holds, and the bigger consumer facing changes are more likely to show up in subscriptions, services, and potentially software pricing rather than in a shortage driven console price jump.
If Sony keeps PS5 hardware pricing stable in 2026 but continues raising PlayStation Plus or digital services pricing, do you see that as a fair trade off or a long term value problem?
