Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors are a great alternative to more traditional projectors, mainly because they are only a few inches from the screen and can project an image 100 inches or larger. This compact arrangement saves you the hassle of dedicating your entire living room to watching movies, but another benefit of UST projectors is that they’re great for watching sports in well-lit spaces where people are more likely to get up and walk down.

But what about games? The best 4K projectors can produce crisp images when watching movies, but they’re not always the best option for gaming: few models come with HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K 120Hz or a game mode with low input lag. There are some exceptions, such as the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 and JVC DLA-NZ8, but in general, most projectors are not suitable for next generation game consoles.

Why is it important: It appears that the post-lockdown hardware industry hangover will last for some time, and this will lead to further drops in the prices of DRAM and NAND chips in the coming months. Memory manufacturers are still struggling to address oversupply issues, so DDR4 memory and SSDs may soon become more affordable for gamers on a budget.

Back in March, we learned that by the end of 2022, the global DRAM market revenue had hit a 2008 low. This has prompted companies such as SK Hynix, Micron, Nanya and others to speed up their layoff plans and look for ways to cut manufacturing costs. Market leader Samsung’s profits have all but evaporated in recent months as demand for memory chips has remained low and many people have limited their spending on PC and phone upgrades.

SK Hynix, which supplies Apple’s memory chips, believes that $160 billion the global memory industry should gradually recover in the second half of this year, helped by China’s recovery and the generative AI race. Samsung is also optimistic, but at the same time it has made the rare decision to cut memory production to a “meaningful level”, hoping to correct the oversupply problem and prevent further price drops.

This has had little effect on OEM stock, but it looks like the memory market hasn’t bottomed out yet. In accordance with Trendforce Analysts expect the average selling price of DRAM products to drop by 13-18 percent by the end of June. NAND memory prices are expected to fall by 8-13%.

Zooming in, we see that PC makers still have ample supply of DDR4 memory, and this is an area where we could see significant discounts in the coming months. It’s a different story with DDR5, as supplies are much more limited, in no small part due to PMIC compatibility issues. Overall, the average PC DRAM price could drop by 15-20%, which is great news for PC builders.

Read also: DDR4 vs DDR5: The best memory for PC gaming

Smartphone makers have done a better job of cleaning up excess memory inventory, but they are using the context of low consumer demand for phone upgrades to negotiate lower prices for new DRAM and NAND orders. This is expected to result in price cuts of 13-18% for mobile DRAM and 10-15% for UFS chips.

China’s slow recovery and overall slowdown in server demand has fueled an oversupply of enterprise SSDs, meaning the average selling price will drop by up to 15 percent in the coming months. The same is true for consumer SSDs, and we’ve already seen this reflected in prices for both PCs and consoles.

However, companies such as Fison believe that there is not much room for further price cuts, and that some SSD manufacturers could go bankrupt if they decide to sell devices below cost while demand remains low.

Head credit: Andrey Matveev