The Nex Playground, a motion control console aimed at children that exploded in popularity last year, is the latest video game technology to announce a price increase directly related to persistent shortage of RAM caused by AI hyperscalers rushing to build data centers.
On March 25, in an open letter published onlineNex CEO and co-founder David Lee announced that starting next month, the company’s flagship console, the Nex Playground, would receive a $50 price increase, raising the price from $250 to $300. This is the second price increase in less than two years.
“We know this is not good news, and it is not a change we take lightly,” Lee said in his post on the official Nex website. He also directly blamed the rising prices on the RAM crisis affecting tech products around the world.
“Over the past six months, the cost of key components – particularly memory (DDR) and storage (eMMC) – has increased significantly across the industry,” Lee said. “These increases are driven in part by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, which is reshaping global supply and demand for these components. You may have seen reports on the broader memory shortage. Like many consumer electronics companies, we have worked hard to absorb these cost increases for as long as possible. However, at current levels, this is no longer something we can sustainably support on our own.”
Playground’s price increase will take effect on April 1. The company is not increasing the price of its Game Pass-like subscription service. Lee says the company is “truly sorry” that this price increase may make the console “less accessible for some families.”
What is NEX Playground and why is its price increasing? The Nex Playground does not have any physical controls. Instead, like with an Xbox Kinect, players interact with games and menus using their body. The console launched in 2023 and costs $200. Sales were slow at first, but during the holiday shopping period in 2024the device went viral thanks to TikTok and online creators. This led to its sale and a price increase in 2025 to $250. Last year, the Nex Playground has surpassed PS5 and Xbox sales for a short period of time. Nex claims to have sold around 1 million units of the device since its launch.
The current RAM crisis has made it increasingly difficult for companies to obtain the parts needed to build game consoles, computers, and other tech devices. A PC parts maker called 2026 the “most difficult year” in its history due to the shortage.
This is all largely thanks to AI hyperscalers and tech giants are gobbling up PC parts to build data centers. It became quite expensive and difficult for an average person to buy PC RAM, graphics cards or even an SSD for a console. Even prices for prebuilt PCs from companies like HP, Dell and Asus will increase by 15-20%. according to PC World.
