US console hardware market at its most precarious position ‘since the 80s’, says Circana — Live Feedhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/us-console-hardware-market-at-its-most-precarious-position-since-the-80s-says-circanaContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. US Console Market Most Precarious Since Early 1980s, Circana Reportshttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/us-console-hardware-market-at-its-most-precarious-position-since-the-80s-says-circanahttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/us-console-hardware-market-at-its-most-precarious-position-since-the-80s-says-circana#u129138Sat, 17 Oct 2026 20:07:22 +0000The US console hardware market is in its most precarious position since the early 1980s, according to Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella. Year-to-date sales through August 2026 show Xbox hardware unit sales crashing 33% to an all-time low for the brand. PlayStation hardware units fell 25%, marking the brand's lowest point since 2013. These declines coincide with record-high average prices, with Xbox costing an average of $529 and PlayStation $597. Analysts attribute the price surges to component shortages driven by demand from AI data centers.Why it mattersRising costs for memory and