Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 prices drop up to 22% in Japan
The high-end GPU market is currently defined by a volatile tug-of-war between extreme AI-driven inflation and sudden, localized price corrections. While the GeForce RTX 50 series represents the pinnacle of current consumer hardware, its availability and pricing have become unpredictable markers of a broader semiconductor crisis.
In Japan, the market recently witnessed an unexpected price decline for the flagship RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. Some RTX 5090 models, such as the Palit GameRock 32 GB, saw prices drop from 1,288,000 Yen to 1,048,000 Yen—a reduction of 18.6% in a single day. Other reports indicate even steeper cuts at certain Akihabara retail locations, where the card fell below the 1 million Yen mark to 999,800 Yen, representing a 22.38% decrease. The RTX 5080 followed a similar trajectory, sliding from a peak of 359,800 Yen down to 299,800 Yen, or roughly $1,876.
These price shifts coincided closely with the resignation of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang after 33 years with the company. While the timing suggests a connection, evidence indicates the price drops are more likely the result of market saturation and inventory management. Prices for these cards had reportedly peaked in late October, and the high cost of the RTX 5080 had begun to stifle sales, leading to a buildup of inventory. This trend was further compounded by a return of RTX 5090 supply around November 3, which allowed multiple retailers to adjust their pricing downward to move stock.
The Global Inflation Trend
Despite these localized dips in Japan, the broader global landscape tells a different story of aggressive price inflation. As of November 2026, GPU prices in many regions have continued to climb. In the United States, the minimum price for the RTX 5070 Ti rose by approximately $160 in a single week in early November, reaching nearly double its launch MSRP of $749. Similarly, the RTX 5080 has seen minimum pricing reach approximately $1,999, also nearly twice its original MSRP. In Japan, a broader survey of nine different GPUs showed an average price increase of 16% between October and November.
This systemic inflation is driven largely by the diversion of critical components to AI data centers. The soaring cost of HBM and DRAM, specifically GDDR7 memory, has forced NVIDIA to reportedly hike GPU prices by roughly 17%. This memory shortage has created a ripple effect across the industry, where board manufacturers have implemented their own price hikes to offset rising material costs. Because there are no new GeForce releases scheduled for the remainder of the year, there is no natural market trigger to drive the prices of existing models down.
Production Delays and Future Hardware
The memory crisis is not only affecting current pricing but is also actively delaying the rollout of new hardware. Reports indicate that GeForce RTX 50 SUPER graphics cards have already been delivered to board partners, yet their official launch is stalled due to the prohibitive cost of 3 GB GDDR7 memory chips. NVIDIA and its partners are reportedly struggling to agree on pricing that would avoid launching the SUPER series at costs significantly higher than expected.
This pricing challenge is particularly acute for the mid-range and entry-level segments. For instance, if the RTX 5070 SUPER with 18 GB of VRAM costs $200 more than the standard 5070, it risks competing too closely with the RTX 5070 Ti and the Radeon RX 9070 XT. Similar pressures affect the RTX 5060 SUPER, and the rumored RTX 5050 SUPER with 9 GB of VRAM may have been canceled entirely because memory costs rendered the product unprofitable.
These production hurdles follow an earlier period of extreme scarcity. In early 2025, NVIDIA warned of significant supply constraints for the RTX 5090 and 5080, citing unprecedented demand and a mismatch in production capacity. This shortage led to single-digit quantities at major retailers and scalper prices reaching as high as $7,000.
The intersection of leadership transitions and supply chain instability suggests a precarious road ahead for gaming hardware. With some analysts suggesting that the current memory shortage may not be fully resolved until 2027 or 2028—and potentially as late as 2030—consumers are facing a market where price drops are temporary anomalies rather than a new trend. The industry now waits to see if the RTX 50 SUPER lineup can successfully navigate these cost barriers in time for a potential CES 2027 announcement.
