If you thought console gamers were safe from the ongoing RAM shortage, then I’m afraid to say that you were sorely mistaken.
Sure, the price of a shiny new PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2 hasn’t shot up just yet (though Nintendo has warned that it’s monitoring the situation), but we’re already seeing the cost of some key accessories rising rapidly.
The NANDpocalypse is upon us
Why is this happening? In part it’s due to the massively increased cost of the NAND flash memory chips fitted to most SSD as more and more resources are turned towards building short-term and long-term memory for AI data centres.
As reported by PCGamer, storage giant Kingston has already seen a 246% hike in NAND costs in less than a year and, of course, it’s inevitable that much of that is passed on to the consumer.
Back in December, the company’s datacenter SSD business manager Camera Crandall advised consumers to upgrade their storage “now” because “prices are going to continue to go up” seemingly indefinitely.
The CEO of NAND manufacturer Phison sounded the alarm even earlier, revealing that most manufacturers were already “sold out” for the entire of 2026 as early as November 2025.
All of this means that prices aren’t going to come down in the foreseeable future and, unless you get extremely lucky and manage to find stock at pre-surge rates, it’s a terrible time to buy as a result.
Don’t lose all hope
Realistically, if you don’t already have a PS5 SSD on hand then you should really start seriously considering some alternatives.
The most simple solution (aside from just gritting your teeth and uninstalling loads of games every time you need to free up space) is to pick up one of the best PS5 external hard drives instead.
You can’t use them to run PS5 games natively, though they can store them in between play sessions, but their lack of NAND memory means that prices are still mercifully normal right now.
I have a massive 5TB Seagate Game Drive for PS5 fitted to my personal PS5 and, while it’s not quite as convent as an SSD, at just $149.99 / £139.99 it’s a hell of a lot cheaper.
You can check out some of my other personal picks below.
The best PS5 external hard drives
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
