The 'RAMpocalypse' has cast an enormous rectangular shadow over the future of game development and next-gen consoles, as AI data centers gobble up all the memory, leaving little for consumers. We've already seen industry-wide shortages, price hikes, and delays as a result of generative gluttony, with the Xbox Ally X rising to over $1,100 in Japan, while the Steam Deck went out of stock due to the lack of memory available. Unsurprisingly then, at this year's Game Developers Conference, the topic of RAM was inescapable.
According to Polygon reporter Giovanni Colantonio, who was on the floor at GDC this week, "If you didn't bring it up with someone in a conversation, it was because they did first." But because of how volatile the market has become — and how unpredictable the future of AI is — developers aren't clear on what the solution might be, or even how bad it might get. One thing is clear, though, optimization is key right now, and that was a sentiment shared by several developers at the conference.
Developers Can't Assume That Players Will Upgrade Their PCs Anymore
The problem right now is that data centers require a lot of memory to operate, and there are only so many companies that develop RAM, and these companies have found that it's more profitable to sell directly to AI instead of consumers, hence the shortage. Given that memory requires rare metals to create, it's not as easy as making more chips. Developers at GDC told Colantonio that because of this, we're at a dead end, and the 'RAMpocalypse' as it has been dubbed may continue for at least two more years. With that in mind, players are less likely to upgrade their PCs, and next-gen consoles are likely to be delayed (as reports suggest), otherwise they risk pricing out the average gamer.
We're already seeing the response to this in real-time, with Lego Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight reducing its recommended RAM from 32GB to 16GB — but even that isn't enough. As per the Steam hardware survey, most players only have 8GB, and with shortages running rife through the industry, aren't likely to upgrade anytime soon. Several developers at GDC reportedly suggested that instead of pushing games to their limits, studios now need to dial back and embrace techniques such as asset pop-in and loading screens to lighten the load.
Several panels were even dedicated to how developers can make their games more efficiently, and Polygon reports that there "was a consistent stress at GDC from professionals who believe that the industry's chase for top-end visuals has become unsustainable." So, even if this only lasts a couple of years, the RAM crisis may be a watershed moment for the games industry, highlighting the risk of chasing hyperrealism and pushing every game to its technical breaking point.
Then again, while it might have been a common sentiment among devs at GDC, there were startup companies on the very same floor peddling AI-prompted games that would cut those same devs out of the process almost entirely, while investors begrudged that so few are willing to embrace the tech, all while it threatens to swallow the industry whole.
RAM Prices Have Become So High That People Are Now Going To Dumps To Scavenge Old Sticks
Maybe you'll find a hard drive full of Bitcoin.