In a PlayStation blog post (opens in new tab) by CEO Jim Ryan, the cost of both the Digital Edition and Disc Edition of Sony’s latest console is set to go up by up to 10% in Europe, UK, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico and Canada — creating another wrinkle in the whole rigmarole of trying to get a PlayStation 5.
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What are the price increases?
These price hikes are effective immediately in all territories except for Japan. If you are affected, here’s how much you will be paying. Europe PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – €549.99 PS5 Digital Edition – €449.99 UK PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – £479.99 PS5 Digital Edition – £389.99 Japan (effective Sept. 15, 2022) PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – ¥60,478 yen (including tax) PS5 Digital Edition – ¥49,478 yen (including tax) China PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – ¥4,299 yuan PS5 Digital Edition – ¥3,499 yuan Australia PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – AUD $799.95 PS5 Digital Edition – AUD $649.95 Mexico PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – MXN $14,999 PS5 Digital Edition – MXN $12,499 Canada PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – CAD $649.99 PS5 Digital Edition – CAD $519.99 People in North America can breathe a sigh of relief, as it looks like those retail prices are not being affected for now, but time will tell whether that will bear the brunt of a cost increase too. Because this is not new news in consumer tech, unfortunately. We’re hearing rumors that the iPhone 14 Pro price will be going up as well for the same reason, for example. It’s a tricky time out there for gadget lovers and gamers.
Outlook
This is not the kind of announcement we wanted to hear during Gamescom. At a time when we’re all struggling financially, this is going to put the PS5 a little further out of reach of people keen to buy one. So, what can Sony do in the face of this uphill battle to win back the potential punters? Well, the options are two fold: making PlayStation games more accessible and building hype around the exclusive titles that are coming soon. We sure could do with a PlayStation showcase soon and maybe an announcement of proper cloud gaming (as I’m betting will happen in September). They won’t completely remove the bad taste from the mouths of people who are already feeling the pinch, but at least its something. Though if you do want to get into next generation gaming on the cheap, the Xbox Series S is still a great option.
