Gaming Industry Faces Storage Crisis as Sandisk's PlayStation 5 SSD Hits $3,000 A growing shortage of memory storage is disrupting the gaming industry, with Sandisk’s PlayStation 5 SSD upgrade priced at nearly $3,000. The product, which allows gamers to expand their console’s storage capacity, has sparked discussions about rising costs and the broader impact of supply chain issues on consumer electronics. Yahoo Finance Technology Editor Dan Howley recently highlighted the situation, noting that the SSD’s price—$2,959 after discounts—exceeds the cost of three PlayStation 5 Pro consoles. The SSD, a 8-terabyte drive, is designed for PlayStation 5 users who face storage limitations as they download large game files. Howley explained that consoles like the PlayStation 5 come with limited internal storage, and as gamers install more titles, the drive quickly fills up. To address this, users can install a secondary or primary drive, which is what the Sandisk SSD provides. However, the product’s steep price has raised questions about the sustainability of such costs in the face of ongoing memory shortages. The memory shortage, which has plagued the tech industry for years, is driving up prices for storage solutions. Howley drew parallels to other consumer products, such as the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft’s Surface line, which have seen price increases over time. For instance, the original Nintendo Switch now sells for $50 more than its 2017 launch price, while Microsoft raised the cost of its Surface devices by $500. These trends suggest that memory shortages are likely to continue influencing pricing across the tech sector. For gamers, the high cost of the SSD has prompted advice on alternative storage strategies. Howley recommended deleting games to free up space, as most titles can be re-downloaded when needed.#memory_shortage #playstation_5 #sandisk #yahoo_finance #dan_howley
