Feature · 13 November 2026
GTA VI arrives in a console squeeze; Taiwan's memory makers show its scale
The game is console-only, consoles are scarce and dearer, and AI data centres are absorbing memory chips; five Taiwan memory companies' combined October revenue was up 338.2% on a year earlier.
Anyone who wants to play Grand Theft Auto VI when it goes on sale on November 19 will need a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X/S. Rockstar has confirmed those two consoles as the launch platforms, NewsNation reported. The game will be all-digital at first, and a PC version is targeted for Q1 2027, according to Gamesbeat, which NewsNation cited. Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick said on November 9 that the launch is "ten days away and, with pre-orders continuing to reach unprecedented levels, we expect to deliver an historic year for our company." The open question is whether there are enough consoles to go round. 12
There may not be. In June, a senior games buyer at a major retailer told The Game Business, speaking anonymously, that component shortages would stop the retailer receiving the consoles it wanted before the game arrived, gHacks reported. Matthew Ball, Xbox's chief strategy officer, told the same outlet that demand for the console exceeds supply and that Xbox is putting consoles in as many stores as possible and producing them as quickly as it can. gHacks tied the component shortages to AI-related memory pressures, which it said have also raised prices for phones, PCs and Macs. 3
Prices have moved as well. Sony raised the US price of the PS5 to $650 from $550, and that of the PS5 Pro to $900 from $750, PC Gamer reported in March. Sony's stated reason was "continued pressures in the global economic landscape"; it did not mention memory. The link came from PC Gamer, which wrote that "the ongoing scarcity and rising costs of memory are somewhat to blame." 4
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Taiwan's memory makers show how far the squeeze has gone. Nanya, Winbond, Macronix, Phison and ADATA together reported NT$132.8bn of revenue for October 2026, up 338.2% on a year earlier. For January to October the combined total is up 297.3%. Nanya, the largest of the five that month, reported NT$46.5bn, up 487.7%, and its ten-month revenue is up 602.2%. Phison reported NT$31.5bn, up 346.3%. Much of that is price. TrendForce, citing Commercial Times, said DRAM contract prices rose about 80% in the second quarter and about 40% in the third quarter, and are expected to rise about 20% in the fourth quarter. It pointed to AI inference demand and limited new supply of mature memory products. 5
Pegatron, a Taiwanese assembler, offers a different angle. It reported October revenue of NT$188.1bn, up 59.6% on a year earlier, and ten-month revenue is up 19.7%. Central News Agency said the month was the second-highest on record and credited AI server shipments. Pegatron told the agency that servers grew faster than its information products and consumer electronics in October, while shipments of communications products fell. Its Wikipedia profile lists game consoles among its primary products. Neither source says whether any consoles are in the current mix. 67
Grand Theft Auto VI goes on sale on November 19, with predownloads having opened on November 10, and a physical edition is scheduled for 2027. 2 Taiwan companies report November revenue in early December, the first monthly figures that will include the launch.
Sources: 1. Take-Two reports results for fiscal second quarter 2027 (press release filed with the SEC, 9 Nov 202 · 2. What to know about Grand Theft Auto VI ahead of its Nov. 19 launch (NewsNation via Yahoo, Nov 2026) · 3. Major retailer warns PS5 and Xbox Series console supply will not meet GTA 6 launch demand (gHacks, 2 · 4. Sony hikes the PS5 price by $100, PS5 Pro by $150 (PC Gamer, Mar 2026) · 5. DRAM prices seen rising 20% QoQ in 4Q26 despite slower gains (TrendForce News, 20 Oct 2026) · 6. Pegatron October revenue second-highest on record, helped by AI servers (CNA via CTS, 10 Nov 2026; i · 7. Pegatron (Wikipedia: company profile and products)
