We are used to consoles dropping in price and for a long time it was big news when they gradually went down in price, whereupon sales increased, and towards the end of a generation they could be bought for peanuts. But… that’s certainly no longer the case.
Instead, both Microsoft and Sony have raised the prices of their respective consoles, which all cost a lot more today, halfway into the generation, than they did when they launched in November 2020. And apparently they’re not done yet, because Sony is now announcing that it’s raising the price of both the PlayStation 5 and its accessories in Japan. The new prices are:
- PlayStation 5: ¥66,980 to ¥79,980
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: ¥59,980 to ¥72,980
- DualSense Wireless Controller: ¥9,480 to ¥11,480
- PlayStation VR2: ¥74,980 to ¥89,980
The ¥13,000 price increase on the console is roughly equivalent to €81/£68, so it’s a pretty significant increase. So far, however, there’s no word on whether our European price tags will get bigger as well, and Sony motivates this decision like this (translated with Bing):
“Given the recent challenging external environment, including the current fluctuations in the global economic situation, and the impact it will have on our business, we have reached this decision.”