With the current RAM shortages, now is the best time to buy a PS5

If you've been anywhere near the PC hardware scene lately, you already know that things are getting grim. It's not just "GPU scalpers" levels of grim, either. I'm talking "entering an existential crisis for consumer hardware" levels of grim. Thanks to the global RAM and VRAM inflation, and companies like Micron dramatically pulling out of the consumer DRAM market because AI companies keep buying memory by the warehouse, we're now officially in full-blown RAMflation.

When a 64GB DDR5 kit costs more than an entire PlayStation 5, something is deeply, comically wrong. And that's exactly why, in the middle of this unhinged behavior, the PS5 has quietly become the smartest, sanest, and best-value gaming machine you can buy in 2025.

RAMflation is real, and it's wrecking PC gaming plans

What fresh hell is this, now?

We've seen GPU shortages, mining booms, and scalpers. But nothing prepares us for memory inflation. All that supply has shifted to the AI industry, where every server build demands truckloads of DDR5. That leaves the consumer side starving, scrambling, and, worst of all, paying exorbitant prices.

We're now seeing 64GB kits touching $600–$650, and high-frequency VRAM prices creeping up in GPUs. Any builders out there who planned mid-cycle upgrades are now stuck. Anyone who was saving up for that new AM5 build? They'll have to keep saving, or change plans entirely. The entire enthusiast scene has entered "wait it out and hope things stabilize" mode, but nothing about this shortage implies any sort of stabilization anytime soon.

The real kicker here is that for the first time in a long, long time, buying or upgrading a gaming PC is objectively a bad deal. Meanwhile, the PS5 sits at $450–$500, stable, predictable, and unbothered. More importantly, it's unaffected by the AI-induced chaos swallowing PC hardware whole.

PC builders are helpless right now, and the PS5 is the perfect refuge

If now isn't the time, when is?

Let's be brutally honest: if you were planning a new PC this year, you've probably either paused those plans or forced yourself to accept a compromised build. Not out of choice, but because the market simply will not let you build something reasonable under $1,200–$1,300 anymore. None of that, however, affects Sony's PlayStation 5.

A PS5 is the definition of no-nonsense performance right now. You buy one box that works. No thinking about RAM speeds. No memory channels. No VRAM bottlenecks, and definitely no compatibility issues or BIOS updates. If you grab the right discount, you get a console that plays every major 2025 game at performance completely comparable to a decently specced-out PC, without the financial self-harm that a PC build currently requires of you.

Even with Unreal Engine 5 titles pushing tech boundaries, the PS5 keeps pace with optimized performance modes. It just runs. No tweaking, and no RAMflation. Just games. It's good to see this in an industry where PC hardware prices right now feel like they were set by the Ferengi.

The PS5 generation is only now entering its golden era

All the third-party AAA titles, and first-party games to boot

People forget that the PS5 has one of the slowest starts of any PlayStation generation. COVID, shortages, supply-chain breakdowns, and cross-gen development — they all delayed the true start of this console cycle, but now? We're finally here.

This is the point in a console's lifespan when the real heavy-hitters show up. First-party blockbusters, mid-generation exclusives, experimental AAAs, and big-budget live-service projects. We just saw two fantastic, high-production first-party titles this year that truly felt next-gen in every frame — Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei. It's only going to get better from here, with Housemarque's Saros and Insomniac's Wolverine dropping next year, and Naughty Dog's Intergalactic behind them.

The PS5 is hitting that sweet spot where developers have finally mastered the machine, players have a huge library to catch up on, and the "slow gen" curse seems to have lifted. Buying a PS5 right now isn't a bad call because the console is nowhere near the end of its life cycle. You'd be buying into the middle, where all the good stuff is finally happening.

The PS5 will stay relevant even after the PS6 arrives

If history is any indication, we'll get cross-gen support till the decade's end

The PS4 to PS5 transition made one thing abundantly clear: Sony fully intends to keep previous-gen consoles alive for a long, long time. We're talking years of cross-gen support, live-service compatibility, and blockbuster releases that still hit both platforms. So, even if the PS6 shows up in late 2027 or 2028, we can expect (read: hope) to still get cross-gen exclusives and games. We can still expect updates to live-service titles and continued support from third parties as well. In short, the PS5 will remain viable for a long, long time.

For 500-odd dollars, the PS5 becomes an insanely practical "bridge" machine. It's something that will give you a full console experience throughout the years to come, well until the end of this decade, without forcing you to sink $1,200+ into a PC build during the most financially absurd hardware period this industry has ever seen.

And hey, even if the PS5 doesn't support cross-gen first-party titles, we'll still have our third-party titles functioning perfectly for at least the first couple of years, justifying its purchase right now since a PC is genuinely out of the question right now from a financial standpoint for a lot of gamers.

Consoles could very well dominate the next three years

A fireproof, cool fridge in the middle of a forest fire

This is the part almost nobody is talking about, but they really should be. The next three years, until the end of the current console generation, are going to belong to consoles simply because the PC market will remain volatile. AI is burning through hardware supply chains. DRAM factories are prioritizing enterprise contracts and B2B models. VRAM costs are rising, and even NVIDIA is reportedly deciding to no longer providing VRAM to its Add-in-Board GPU partners (it isn't concrete yet, but you can almost see it happening with half-closed eyes). The PC market relies on consumer affordability, and it's getting squeezed from all angles.

Meanwhile, consoles buy components in bulk, their contracts lock in manufacturing for the long term, pricing remains (largely) stable, and performance stays consistent. The fact that games are optimized for exactly one spec on consoles is a huge boon, despite the cost in frame rates and ray-tracing. In a world where PC hardware keeps getting more expensive every few months, and the "AI bubble" is eating into every bit of hardware that has the suffix "RAM" attached to it, consoles are now going to feel like the only sane option for mainstream gamers. Effectively speaking, getting a PS5 right now would be buying insulation from the volatility of the PC market for the next several years. Honestly, that peace of mind alone is worth the price tag.

The PS5 isn't the backup plan anymore – it's the best plan

If you love gaming and hate the current hardware circus, buying a PS5 just makes perfect sense.

We're entering one of the most chaotic PC hardware eras in recent memory. AI companies are swallowing memory supply whole, and prices are skyrocketing for the average gamer. GPU and RAM shortages are back, and PC gaming, which was supposed to be a haven of flexibility, now feels like a financial minefield.

Meanwhile, consoles like the PS5 are stable, affordable, and predictable, sitting squarely in the middle of their strongest years. If you love gaming and hate the hardware circus (because how could you not at this point), we're trapped in right now, take it from someone who has spent way too much money on PC parts and is now looking at his PS5 in a brand-new, almost-reverential light: buy a PS5, it just makes sense.