Technologies

Video Game Hardware Sales Are the Worst in Decades: Here’s Why You Should Buy Now

New analytics show abysmal video game hardware sales for Black Friday, but price hikes aren’t over yet.

It’s been a rough holiday season for video game hardware so far. Analytics company Circana released its November report on Wednesday, showing rising prices and console sales at their worst point in decades.

According to Circana director Mat Piscatella, the average price of a new unit of video game hardware has risen from around $235 in 2019 to $439 in 2025. That appears to be a major driver in the decline of video game spending, which has dropped to $5.9 billion, a 4% decrease from last year’s $6.1 billion.

Those are unfavorable numbers, considering that November typically performs quite well due to Black Friday sales, with many people waiting for this time of year to purchase expensive game consoles. Hardware prices may have made this less feasible now, especially for consoles. Overall, hardware spending decreased to $695 million, the lowest level since 2005.

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The reports indicated that Microsoft Xbox Series console sales were down 70% year-over-year, while the Sony PlayStation 5 — which remained the highest-selling console of the month — was down 40%. Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 sales, meanwhile, were down only 10%, while general video game accessories were down 13%.

Among the top-selling video games in November 2025 were Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6, according to data from Circana. Top games also include longtime favorites like Minecraft and Red Dead Redemption II, as well as newcomers like Ghost of Yotei and The Outer Worlds 2.

A representative from Circana didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Are video game costs ever going to fall?

If you’re waiting for consoles and other hardware to start dropping in price, you may want to reconsider. Experts expect the growing costs of RAM in recent months to continue well into next year. That’s likely to lead to even higher costs for all video game consoles in the future.

If you’re planning to purchase expensive video game hardware, we suggest taking advantage of available holiday discounts whenever possible. Things aren’t likely to improve in 2026.

When it comes to physical video game media, such as game discs, it’s harder to judge. As gamers focus on digital purchases, it may be a good time to search for physical games, as they’re more likely to remain in stock due to this year’s low sales numbers.

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Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 18, #1011

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 18 #1011.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is pretty tricky, but musicians might find the blue group easy. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Time between two things, maybe.

Green group hint: That smarts!

Blue group hint: Rockers know these well.

Purple group hint: You might write one out to pay a bill.