Sony has raised the price of its PS5 console in a number of key territories, including the UK, Europe, Australia, and its home territory of Japan.
It had been feared that Sony would hike the price of its still-hard-to-get PS5 console in light of the current inflation crisis. That fear grew to outright suspicion when Sony refused to rule such an extreme measure out during its most recent earnings call.
Now those fears and suspicions have been proved true. Over on the official PlayStation blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment President & CEO Jim Ryan has outlined a “New recommended retail price” for select markets.
Effective immediately, the PS5 with Blu-ray will cost £479.99 / €549.99 / AUD $799.95, up from £449.99 / €499.99 / AUD $749.95. Meanwhile, the PS5 Digital Edition will cost £389.99 / €449.99 / $649.95, which is a rise from £359.99 / €399.99 / $599.95.
Besides these three territories, PS5 prices are also going up in Japan, China, Mexico and Canada.
The reason for this PS5 price hike, Ryan explains, is “high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends”. He makes a point of confirming that “There will be no price increase in the United States”.
This situation will be greeted with extra bitterness given that many have found it extremely difficult to obtain a PS5 since its launch in November 2020. Sony has never fully gotten a handle on PS5 production, with ongoing supply chain issues and the related COVID-19 outbreak playing havoc with production.
To this end, Ryan ends the blog post by assuring gamers that “our top priority continues to be improving the PS5 supply situation so that as many players as possible can experience everything that PS5 offers and what’s still to come.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
