The gaming industry has faced numerous challenges over the past few years. The rollout of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X was initially delayed by COVID-19, followed by a surge in GPU demand due to the cryptocurrency boom. Now, AI technologies have increased the demand for RAM chips, making them highly sought after.
This trend has led smartphone manufacturers to raise their prices. Similarly, both PCs and consoles are also feeling the heat, with the prices of the PS5, Xbox, Steam Deck, and Nintendo Switch all experiencing increases. Other services are not immune either; for instance, Microsoft considered hiking the cost of Game Pass but reversed its decision after receiving significant pushback from users.
The situation has become dire enough that Nvidia is re-releasing the GeForce RTX 3060, which was initially launched in 2020; AMD is bringing back the Ryzen 7 5800X3D from 2022; and Intel is reportedly exploring new designs compatible with DDR4 RAM.
While smartphones typically do not repurpose old silicon, this practice has occurred occasionally. The main issue stems from the high cost of cutting-edge processing nodes, which has driven up the prices of flagship and high-end gaming phones. Mid-range devices are now experiencing price hikes as well.
Given these circumstances, we are curious: what device do you use for gaming? Do you prefer a PC, an x86 handheld, an ARM handheld like the Switch, a home console, a game streaming service, a tablet, or a smartphone?
Note: You can select multiple options.
