RAM Crisis Forces Nex To Raise Price On Playground Kids Console

The Nex Playground, a kid-focused motion-control console that exploded in reputation final 12 months, is the most recent little bit of online game tech to announce a value improve straight linked to the ongoing RAM shortage brought on by AI hyperscalers dashing to construct information facilities.

On March 25, in an open letter posted online, Nex CEO and co-founder David Lee introduced that beginning subsequent month, the corporate’s flagship console, the Nex Playground, will obtain a $50 value improve, bumping the worth from $250 to $300. That is the second price increase in lower than two years.

“We all know this isn’t welcome information, and this isn’t a change we take frivolously,” stated Lee in his submit on the official Nex web site. He additionally straight laid the blame for the worth improve on the RAM disaster affecting tech merchandise world wide.

“Over the previous six months, the price of key elements — particularly reminiscence (DDR) and storage (eMMC) — has risen considerably throughout the trade,” stated Lee. “These will increase are pushed partly by the fast enlargement of AI infrastructure, which is reshaping world provide and demand for these components. You might have seen experiences in regards to the broader reminiscence scarcity. Like many client electronics corporations, we’ve labored onerous to soak up these value will increase for so long as attainable. Nevertheless, at present ranges, it’s not one thing we are able to sustainably keep it up our personal.”

The Playground’s value improve will kick in on April 1. The corporate isn’t elevating the worth on its Recreation Cross-like subscription service. Lee says the corporate is “really sorry” that this value bump may make the console “much less accessible for some households.”

What’s the NEX Playground, and why is it getting a value improve?

The Nex Playground options no bodily controls. As an alternative, like with an Xbox Kinect, gamers work together with video games and menus utilizing their our bodies. The console launched in 2023 and value $200. Gross sales had been sluggish at first, but during the holiday shopping season in 2024, the system went viral because of TikTok and on-line creators. This led to it promoting out and a value improve in 2025 to $250. Final 12 months, the Nex Playground outsold the PS5 and Xbox throughout a brief time frame. Nex says it has sold around 1 million units of the system since launch.

The continued RAM disaster has made it tougher and tougher for corporations to safe the components wanted to construct sport consoles, computer systems, and different tech units. One PC components maker referred to as 2026 the “most difficult 12 months” in its historical past as a result of scarcity.

That is all largely because of AI hyperscalers and tech giants gobbling up PC parts to build datacenters. It’s change into quite pricey and challenging to your common particular person to purchase PC RAM, graphics playing cards, and even an SSD for a console. Even the costs on prebuilt PCs from corporations like HP, Dell, and Asus will improve by 15 to twenty p.c, according to PC World.