Future publication via Getty Images via Getty Images There’s some bad news if you haven’t been able to get your hands on the PlayStation 5 in the 21 months since its launch. Sony has announced a price increase for the PS5 in several countries. He blamed global economic pressures, including high inflation rates and “adverse exchange rate trends”. Price changes are effective immediately in most key markets. They apply to the UK, Canada, Europe, Japan, China, Australia and Mexico. There is no price increase in the United States at this time. A PlayStation Blog post doesn’t mention specific changes elsewhere. However, it notes that some markets in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Latin America (LATAM) regions may also see price increases. People in the UK will now have to pay an extra 6% or so for a PlayStation 5. In Europe, the price increase is around 10%. Meanwhile, in Japan (where the increase will take effect from September 15), the price of the PS5 is increasing by 21 percent. The price increase is more modest in Canada, where both versions of the console are $20 (about 3 percent) more expensive. Here’s the list of new prices, according to the PlayStation Blog:
Europe
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray drive – €549.99 PS5 Digital Edition – €449.99
United Kingdom
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray drive – £479.99 PS5 Digital Edition – £389.99
Japan
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray Drive – ¥60,478 (tax included) PS5 Digital Edition – ¥49,478 (tax included)
China
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray drive – ¥4,299 yuan PS5 Digital Edition – ¥3,499 Yuan
Australia
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray drive – AUD$799.95 PS5 Digital Edition – AUD$649.95
Mexico
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray drive – $14,999 MXN PS5 Digital Edition – MXN $12,499
Canada
PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray Drive – $649.99 CAD PS5 Digital Edition – $519.99 CAD
“While this price increase is a necessity given the current global economic environment and its impact [Sony Interactive Entertainment’s] for the business, our top priority continues to be improving the PS5 supply situation so that as many players as possible can experience everything PS5 has to offer and what’s to come,” wrote Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan. You’d expect to see price cuts for the PS5 at this point, almost two years into the console’s life cycle. But the increases are, unfortunately, understandable. The global economy has been in absolute shambles for the past few months. Many companies are feeling the sting of this and the ongoing component supply chain crisis that has choked manufacturing for the past two years. It seems unlikely that the price increase will lead to reduced sales for Sony. The PlayStation 5 is still in high demand due to limited supply, and new retail prices are still lower than what you’d have to pay scalpers, for the most part. The move follows Meta raising the price of its Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset by $100 last month. Sony, meanwhile, plans to release the PlayStation VR 2 and a premium DualSense controller in the coming months. He hasn’t announced pricing for either yet, but you probably shouldn’t expect them to be cheap. Microsoft and Nintendo have yet to give any indication that they plan to raise the prices of the Xbox or Switch. However, the idea of cloud gaming might start to look pretty appealing to some people right now.
