Bad news for players. The Japanese giant of entertainment Sony announced an increase in the price of several models of its PlayStation 5 video game console (PS5) in certain markets, excluding the United States for the moment, due to global economic conditions deemed “difficult”.
“In a difficult economic context, marked by high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates”, Sony has decided to “increase the recommended sale price (PAV) of the PlayStation 5 console in certain European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia and New Zealand markets,” explains the group in a post published on the PlayStation blog on Sunday.
The price of the PS5 in digital edition, which does not have disc readers, will increase by more than 10 % in Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia, said the company on Monday. In Europe, the console’s digital publishing price will now cost 499.99 euros, according to Sony, an increase of around 11 % compared to its initial price (449.99 euros).
Disput of the disc reader’s price
Among the regions concerned, Sony announced an increase in prices of the PS5 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, affecting both digital edition and the model with Blu-ray player. On the other hand, the price of the disk player sold separately will be revised down. All these price adjustments come into force this Monday, said Sony, stating that the price of the PlayStation Pro, more expensive and more efficient, launched in November, will not be changed.
This price increase was decided while the customs duties imposed by US President Donald Trump have destabilized the world markets and threaten to disorganize the production chains of the electronic industry in Asia.
In the aftermath of exemptions on high-tech products announced by the United States, President Trump warned Sunday that no country was “shot” in the face of his customs offensive, “especially not China” that he again attacked. Reinforcing uncertainty, Trump added that he would announce “in the week” new customs duties on semiconductors entering the United States.