Exploding rockets and exploding hardware prices make for a lousy new normal

Personal Tech Exploding rockets and exploding hardware prices make for a lousy new normal This week on The Kettle, we mull over whether the Steam Deck is a canary in the coal mine for the future of hardware prices, and the effect of Blue Origin's blowout on NASA's Moon missions Brandon Vigliarolo Brandon Vigliarolo Published mon 1 Jun 2026 // 00:00 UTC It was explosive news week – if you're the price of a popular-but-aging piece of consumer gaming hardware or a Jeff Bezos rocket.  This week on The Kettle, Brandon Vigliarolo is joined by Reg reporters Richard Speed and Dan Robinson to talk about the Steam Deck's 40+ percent price hike and what it means for the ongoing memory and storage shortage . Sure, it's just consumer hardware, but it's the latest in a line of price hikes justified in the name of AI and geopolitics – and it could spell the beginning of a new normal for hardware prices.  We couldn't ignore the standout story of late last week, though, as a Blue Origin rocket blew up spectacularly in what may be the largest space industry explosion in more than 50 years. The Blue Origin blowup is likely to delay the Artemis mission for months, if not a year or more.  REG AD REG AD You can listen to The Kettle  here , as well as on  Spotify  and  Apple Music , or read the transcript of the latest episode below. It's been lightly edited for clarity.  Brandon (00:02) Welcome back to another episode of the Registers Kettle podcast. And boy, do we have an explosive bit of news to talk about this week, both figuratively and literally. Not only has one particular vendor's price boom brought the AI-driven memory shortage into focus for a wider audience, but there's also a decidedly more physical detonation in Florida this week that looks like it might have imperiled NASA's moon plans. With me to discuss these stories are Reg reporters Richard Speed and Dan Robinson. Welcome to you both. Richard Speed (00:29) Hi there. Dan Robins