ASUS Is Kicking Off 2026 By Making Your PC Habit Even More Expensive
If you were hoping for a cheaper year for tech, ASUS just took that dream out back and shot it.
I have spent most of my career watching manufacturers find creative ways to reach deeper into our wallets, but the latest letter from ASUSTeK feels particularly cold. It is the classic corporate routine where they blame "market conditions" while preparing to hike the MSRP on the hardware we actually want. While we are all looking forward to seeing the shiny new tech at CES 2026, ASUS is making sure we know exactly how much more those toys are going to cost us before the show even starts.
The AI Tax Comes For Your Memory and Storage
The official word from General Manager Liao Yi-Xiang is that starting January 5, we are going to see "price adjustments" across various products. They are claiming that the massive surge in AI compute demand is putting "sustained upward pressure" on the cost of key components. Basically, because every tech giant on the planet is obsessed with training their new chatbot, the price of the DRAM and SSDs in your next rig is going to spike.
It has become a fucking industry-wide challenge, apparently. ASUS says they have been "absorbing" these costs for an extended period, which is a nice way of saying they finally decided their profit margins were more important than your bank account. They cite a structural supply gap created by rising AI demand, which is basically the new "global pandemic" excuse for why everything costs 20% more than it did last week.
Which Products Are On The Chopping Block?
While the letter was predictably vague about specific model numbers, it does not take a genius to figure out where the blow will land. Anything that relies heavily on memory or high-speed storage is going to be a prime target for these strategic adjustments.
ROG Ally (X) and Pre-built Systems
As spotted by the folks at Videocardz.com, the ROG Ally (X) is right in the crosshairs. Handhelds and full-blown desktop systems are essentially just big boxes of the exact components that ASUS says are getting more expensive. If you have been on the fence about grabbing a handheld or a new pre-built, you might want to pull the trigger before the January 5 deadline hits. After that, you are just paying the AI tax.
The CES 2026 Timing Is No Accident
Announcing this right before the biggest tech show of the year is a bold move. It sets the stage for the next generation of hardware to launch at significantly higher price points than what we have seen in previous years. It is an early warning for the pricing of the next generation of GPUs and motherboards.
I suspect we are going to hear a lot of similar "woe is us" stories from other manufacturers during the show. ASUS is just the first one to say the quiet part out loud. If you were planning an early 2026 build, I suggest you buy your parts now, or get ready to explain to your landlord why the rent is late because you needed a new motherboard.