Hardware market freeze could transform the industry forget says Rob Fahey of @GIBiz🚀 ✅Console and PC sales are plummeting due to extreme prices and component shortages (average PS5s cost $597; GPUs exceed $5,000). Market stabilization isn't expected before 2028. ✅Frozen market locks in the PS5’s massive install base dominance. This allows Sony to comfortably coast on software and subscription profits while severely stalling Xbox's hopes for a generational reset. ✅With dedicated gaming hardware priced out of reach, consumers will naturally shift their gaming habits to the multi-purpose devices they already own and justify buying. ✅Smartphones could evolve into primary, TV-connected gaming hubs. ✅This isn't just a temporary dip. If the hardware freeze drags on, consumer habits and development pipelines will permanently adapt to phones and laptops, potentially ending the traditional console era for good. ______ I have to agree that next gen consoles potentially costing $1000 will be very much a roadblock for many gamers who have been playing on consoles mainly for the price and convenience. In addition, when you have a console that barely sells, most developers will release their games cross gen, as they did with PS5 at half the price tag, due to shortages at the time. Most devs chose to launch on a bigger install base with PS4 than PS5, and that lasted for at least 4 years. With the memory crisis projected to last till 2030, and consoles potentially costing $1000, I don’t see many next gen exclusives showing a true leap coming in the first few years, and there goes another incentive to buy a $1000 console( plus no physical media/sense of ownership. Modern consoles already cost a lot, and their potential is very much under-utilized, so I can imagine many players will either stick to PS5/XS, play games on their already expensive iPhones that can play games like Death Stranding and Resident Evil 2-4 remakes, or go back to retro games which are far more fun and unique than anything the industry delivered for the last 15 years💿