Roku has raised prices across its streaming hardware lineup, and in some cases the jumps are steep.
According to The Verge, the cheapest option — the HD Streaming Stick — now costs $39.99, up from $29.99. That report, first surfaced by The Desk, notes that the increases hit all of Roku's other devices too, with some rising by as much as $50.
Ars Technica frames the change in percentage terms, reporting that Roku raised streaming stick prices by up to 60 percent.
Roku's explanation, per Ars Technica, is a shortage of RAM — the memory chips its devices rely on. Ars Technica also points out a notable wrinkle in the timing: the company's CEO had described the RAM situation as "great" for business back in May, a stance that sits awkwardly against price hikes attributed to that same shortage.
Roku has long competed by keeping its hardware cheap, using low-cost sticks and boxes as an on-ramp to its ad-supported streaming platform. Raising the entry price, even by ten dollars, chips away at that strategy.
Why it matters: memory shortages are quietly rippling out from data centers and AI hardware into everyday consumer gadgets, and Roku's price increases show how those supply pressures can land directly on the cost of the devices people buy to watch TV.