The price of the current generation of consoles was already a fairly hefty proposition, with the impressive power on offer already doing a lot to necessitate a high price. Unfortunately for PlayStation players in the USA, that's about to get significantly worse.
According to an official press release from Sony, the price of the PlayStation is about to go up by $50, with the same rise applicable to the Digital and Pro editions of the console. This amounts to an increase of 10% for the standard console and even more for the Digital edition.
The PlayStation Price Increase Has Left Gamers Reeling
All told, the price for each version of the PlayStation now works out as follows:
- PlayStation 5 – $549.99
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
- PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
In a statement accompanying the new price list, Sony had the following to say about exactly why they had to take this drastic step with their hardware.
"Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21," they said. "The recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories remain unchanged, and we have no other price changes to announce for additional markets."
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The company are the latest to alter the pricing for their hardware in the USA, after both Xbox and Nintendo did the same, with Sony opting to wait as long as possible before pulling the proverbial trigger in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
That said, it is only the latest price increase for the console, with the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand all coming in for rises previously.
Fans were predictably put out, with the news causing some to abandon the console entirely, "I have been a die hard Playstation fan since the PS2 in 2001, have purchased every console along the way and built my digital games library from PlayStation. I will not be buying a PS6 and I have finally had enough of consoles and the modern gaming scene," one said.
Another added, "$750 for the pro? With no disk drive? $550 for a console that came out 5 years ago? This is nuts."
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A third pointed out that the console's main advantage over PC gaming was being eroded, saying "For that price I could spend a few hundred dollars more and have a full pc setup. Pricing doesn't make sense."
Sony's chief financial officer Lin Tao had previously confirmed several months ago that they may have to reappraise the price at some point in the future, and it seems that time has finally come for unlucky consumers.