Rising prices force consumers to delay gaming PC upgrades

Despite rising prices and further pressure for OEMs to downsize capacity, RAM and SSDs continue to be critical components of the Games Console and PC landscape.  While the sector is currently facing headwinds driven by component shortages, price increases, and the industry's current obsession with enterprise data centre and AI-focused products, Futuresource Consulting believes the long-term prospects for gaming storage products remain strong. 

Indeed, gaming-focused products have become an essential part of the portfolios of all the leading brands: Kingston, Corsair, XPG, G.Skill, Western Digital, Kioxia, Seagate, Toshiba, Lexar and SanDisk all present options here for consumers.  However, the ongoing prioritisation of enterprise SSDs and high-bandwidth memory by manufacturers has constrained supply within the consumer channel, pushing prices higher and effectively curtailing market demand. 

As a result, consumers are extending upgrade cycles, selecting lower-cost alternatives, or delaying gaming PC builds altogether as overall system costs remain elevated. 

"These market conditions are creating challenges across the gaming ecosystem with no immediate signs of abating", says Futuresource Consulting.  "The key is understanding where demand is evolving, which segments are proving most resilient, and where the next growth opportunities will emerge over the next 12 to 18 months as market conditions evolve." 

Gaming DRAM shipments decline as consumers balance capacity and price 

Gaming DRAM remains the largest category within gaming memory products, accounting for more than 45% of all DRAM modules sold worldwide.  However, it is also one of the segments most impacted by recent price increases. 

In Q1 2026, worldwide gaming DRAM sell-in shipments declined 36% quarter-on-quarter and, more significantly, fell 52% compared to one year earlier.  From a capacity perspective, shipments in petabytes fell 41% quarter-on-quarter, highlighting a shift toward lower-capacity purchases as consumers respond to higher pricing. 

The competitive landscape is also evolving.  While Corsair has historically led the gaming DRAM segment, Kingston's Fury Gaming series emerged as the market leader in Q1 2026. 

Fluctuations in gaming storage: a tale of two formats 

Gaming-specific SSDs continue to represent substantial volumes, particularly for drives installed internally.  Products such as WD Black, alongside offerings from Kingston, Kioxia, XPG and Corsair, target both gaming PC upgrades and console storage expansion. 

Gaming SSD shipments faced challenging conditions in Q1 2026, with unit volumes declining 28% quarter-on-quarter, slightly outpacing the decline seen in the total market, yet these products still represent up to 10% of total internal SSD shipments worldwide. 

For those seeking more cost-effective storage options, external hard drives from leading vendors including Western Digital, Seagate and Toshiba continue to serve consumer needs.  While newer console generations have accelerated the migration toward SSD-based solutions, external hard drives still serve an active installed base and remain relevant while component prices are elevated. 

Other important gaming memory categories include gaming-branded microSD cards, such as SanDisk's Nintendo Switch range and Lexar's growing portfolio, as well as dedicated console expansion cards, where Seagate and SanDisk remain key players. 

Future perspective 

Understanding these rapidly changing market dynamics is essential for brands operating in the gaming storage and memory sector.  Through its comprehensive channel tracking and market intelligence services, Futuresource provides vendors with detailed visibility into: