Xbox and PlayStation hardware in the US at their lowest level in years

• PlayStation hardware sales over the same period were down 25% and hit their lowest level since 2013.
• The average selling price of a new Xbox console in the US was $529, while PlayStation averaged $597, both all-time highs according to the source.

What happened

Mat Piscatella, an analyst at Circana, painted a weak picture of the US console hardware market. In the figures cited in the article, US Xbox hardware sales in 2026 year to date through August were 33% lower than a year earlier. For PlayStation, the decline was 25% year over year. The article also says Xbox in the US has fallen to a record low, while PlayStation is at its lowest level since 2013.

The same source says the average price paid by US buyers for a new Xbox console during that period was $529, up 26% from a year earlier. For PlayStation, the average price was $597, 20% higher than a year earlier. According to the article, those are the highest average console prices ever in the US for both brands. The combination of lower unit sales and higher prices makes the market exceptionally weak, according to the analysis cited.

Piscatella also warned that the US hardware market has not been this precarious since the early 1980s. The article links the higher prices to more expensive components, especially memory parts that are reportedly being diverted toward AI data centers. As a result, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles have become more expensive in several markets. The text does not break down the impact of memory, tariffs, production costs, or retail margins, but it does place the price increases in that broader context.

As a possible counterweight, the article points to Rockstar's GTA 6, which the cited analysis says could help soften some of the decline in console sales. Even so, it stresses that hardware pricing and availability will determine how much of an effect that has. The article does not offer a concrete sales forecast for GTA 6, but uses the game as an example of a potential demand driver in the console market.

Background

The figures in the article are attributed to Circana and shared via Mat Piscatella. The source does not provide a full methodology, but it does present clear year-over-year comparisons for hardware sales and average selling prices in the US market. The comparison runs through August 2026, so these are year-to-date figures rather than full-year results.

The article places the price increases in a broader context of more expensive components, especially memory. At the same time, it remains unclear how much of the price movement is driven by memory, tariffs, production costs, or retail pricing. The text does say memory components are being shifted toward AI data centers, but it does not give separate figures for the impact on Xbox or PlayStation hardware.

The cited analysis also compares the current market with earlier periods. By saying the US hardware market has not been this precarious since the early 1980s, Piscatella frames the current situation as unusually weak in historical terms. That is a comment on market conditions, not a specific sales record for one platform.

The mention of GTA 6 fits into that same market picture. The article suggests that a major release could support console demand, but ties that directly to hardware pricing and store availability. Without those two factors, the effect remains uncertain according to the analysis cited.

Sources

• Eurogamer: Xbox and PlayStation sales hit new lows in the hardware market