Global inflation is all around. From groceries to cars, just about anything you purchase today costs more expensive than it did a year ago.
Inflation, of course, is nothing new as it’s been happening for decades. The surprise is by how much the cost of goods has gone up and in such a short time, too.
Now it’s starting to hit the video games industry as well. Sony announced today that the PS5 price is set to increase in select markets to “high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends.”
Effective immediately, the cost of the PlayStation 5 will be increasing in the following regions: Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), as well as Canada. There will not be a price increase in the United States as of right now.
Below are the new recommended retail prices for the PS5 — both the Digital Edition and the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive — for the abovementioned regions:
Europe (€50 increaes)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – €549.99
- PS5 Digital Edition – €449.99
UK (£30 increase)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – £479.99
- PS5 Digital Edition – £389.99
Japan (effective Sept. 15, 2022, ¥5000 increase)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – ¥60,478 yen (including tax)
- PS5 Digital Edition – ¥49,478 yen (including tax)
China (¥400 increase)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – ¥4,299 yuan
- PS5 Digital Edition – ¥3,499 yuan
Australia ($50 AUD increase)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – AUD $799.95
- PS5 Digital Edition – AUD $649.95
Mexico (1,000 pesos increase)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – MXN $14,999
- PS5 Digital Edition – MXN $12,499
Canada ($20 CAD increase)
- PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – CAD $649.99
- PS5 Digital Edition – CAD $519.99
Sony has not said whether this will be a temporary price increase to offset the cost of inflation or if this will become permanent. I’m willing to wager it’ll be the latter.
It will also be interesting to see how this affects the sales of the PlayStation 5. Sony has already struggled to meet PS5 demand due to supply chain issues. As a result, sales at Sony’s gaming division declined 2% year-on-year in the June quarter. Perhaps fewer consoles sold at a more expensive price could help offset this.
Microsoft has not yet announced a price increase for its Xbox Series consoles.
Are you still interested in purchasing a PlayStation 5 even with the price hike?
Be the first to comment