PlayStation Launches New Console Available Now, Sales Soaring

Sony PlayStation has launched a new console, and sales are soaring, which could mean good news for us all.

As we fast approach Christmas Day, parents and gamers alike will be looking for the best Black Friday deals on the latest console and accessory hardware, as well as discounts on the top video games of 2025.

This year, we’ve seen price hikes across the board on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo. What’s odd about this is that as consoles have gotten older, they’ve become more expensive.

Typically, consoles will gradually decrease in price as we approach the next generation.

Console Prices Are On the Rise

That being said, despite the price hikes, there are still plenty of deals to be had, or to be a pessimist, consoles that get a discount today might just be the standard price a year or two ago, but I digress.

Going back to the topic at hand, earlier this month, Sony announced that a new version of the PlayStation 5 console is to be sold in Japan, which is exclusive to the Land of the Rising Sun.

The console in question is the slim digital-only version with an 825GB hard drive (minus the space required for system data). Unfortunately, this console is region-locked to Japan, unlike most consoles, which were region-free.

The region-locked PlayStation 5 console has an RRP of ¥55,000, which works out to be around £270/$355, which is a good £160 less than what we might pay in the UK and would launch on 21 November 2025.

At the time of writing, the console has now been out for a week, and as brought to our attention by Push Square, as of 23 November, the console has sold 23,381 units, up from 5,855 console sales the previous week.

PlayStation 5, Sony Interactive Entertainment

Nintendo Switch 2 Retains Its Top Spot

However, despite the big boost in PlayStation 5 console sales in Japan, it still trails behind the Nintendo Switch 2 by more than 100,000 units, taking up the number one spot.

I’d like to think Sony is testing the waters to see how well region-locked PlayStation 5 consoles sell before rolling them out in other regions.

If that were to happen, it would be great to get such a huge saving off the RRP, but that might not be worth the cost as a UK gamer, not being able to play US or European Union games, if that were the case.

If Sony were to roll out region-locked consoles in the West, we’ll be sure to update you right away.