Xbox hardware sales just had their worst May ever in the US, as PlayStation 5 sales plummet by 58% compared to a year ago.

May was a catastrophic month for PlayStation and Xbox sales in the U.S., driven by price rises that have clearly had a significant impact on consumer interest in buying a new console.

PS5 hit its weakest May sales since 2000 after a 58% YoY drop, driven by price hikes tied to an AI-fueled memory shortage.

That might be in part because the current cost crunch around PC gaming components is driving tough conversations at Microsoft about what kind of console it can deliver in 2027 that doesn’t immediately price itself out of relevancy.

If you're new to PC gaming, here's a crash course on the Steam Machine and how it differs from a traditional video game console.

This pricey cube won’t win any console wars — but could it rise above them? My first day with the Steam Machine was a mess. Instead of enjoying a worry-free game console, I spent hours troubleshooting what felt like a finicky PC.

Valve says the Steam Machine is designed around an open PC ecosystem rather than the subsidized, locked-down pricing model used by traditional consoles

In making its point, Valve said a console like an Xbox or PlayStation device would typically be sold at a loss, with Microsoft and Sony making up the loss with software and services revenue. Games sold for a console might be “locked in to the hardware” on a traditional console, but that’s not the case for the Steam Machine.

Google Search Console’s page indexing report is currently delayed by over two weeks, with a last updated time stamp of June 11, 2026. That means you won’t be able to see a rec