PC price rises to slow this year, says Asus, though not in time for the Steam Machine launch

With gaming PC components having risen in price so much over the last six months, Asus has given a tiny glimmer of hope for the months ahead. According to Economic Daily News, Asus Systems Business General Manager Liao Yi-hsiang has declared that, thanks to some component prices already falling, any price increases in the coming months for Asus "PC products" would be small.

Specifically, Yi-hsiang says that they would be single-digit increases, referring to a 1-9% potential increase in price for affected Asus products. That's still potentially a significant increase, particularly given the price of the best gaming laptops, for instance. However, it pales in comparison to the 300%+ increase we've seen for RAM and 40%+ increases we've seen for PC systems in recent months, such as the recent massive Steam Deck price increases and, of course, the notoriously higher-than-expected Steam Machine price.

The Economic Daily News reports that "Liao Yi-hsiang analyzed that PC product prices will still be slightly adjusted in the third quarter, but the increase is expected to be only in the single digits. The main reason is that the prices of components such as memory and hard drives have recently fallen back, and considering consumer acceptance, a large increase may exceed the market's tolerance."

The last line here is an interesting one, as it suggests Asus would like to increase prices more (whether out of the desire for extra profit or necessity not to lose money), but that it feels people simply wouldn't buy the products. Given the general downturn in the market - and the reaction to the Steam Machine launching at such a high price - Asus is probably right on this assumption.

The specifics of this report refer to the Taiwanese market, which is both where Asus is based and where Economic Daily News reports from. However, the broader trends are likely to be reflected worldwide.

As to when any actual further price increases might occur, Liao Yi-hsiang refers to them being "slightly adjusted in the third quarter," suggesting some price increase could happen ahead of peak tech sales in Fall/Winter.

When it comes to what might happen even further out from this, Asus didn't offer any suggestion. However, there is a growing sense that the market is consolidating around current pricing, simply because demand for components being used in data centers isn't letting up. We may see RAM prices fall back further from their peak, but don't expect the Steam Deck to return to its original price this year, if ever.