Sony claims "current fluctuations in the global economic situation" are to blame.
Remember when it was almost impossible to find a PlayStation 5 out in the wild? Dark days, dear readers, where scalpers reigned supreme and harried consumers lined up in droves outside of GameStops to get their hands on the console. Now, we live in a world where it's much easier to find Sony's latest home console on store shelves, but if you live in the Land of the Rising Sun, it's going to cost you more at the checkout stand.
The announcement was made via the Japanese PlayStation Blog, where the firm declared that the MSRP for all PS5 SKUs in Japan would be going up as of September 2, 2024. These price changes will impact consoles, DualSense controllers, and other accessories. Here's a breakdown of the price changes:
Item | New MSRP | Original MSRP |
PlayStation 5 Slim | ¥79,980 | $554 | ¥66,980 | $464 |
PlayStation 5 Slim (Digital) | ¥72,980 | $504 | ¥59,980 | $414 |
DualSense Controller | ¥11,480 to ¥11,980 | $79 to $83 | ¥9,480 to ¥9,980 | $66 to $69 |
PlayStation Portal | ¥34,980 } $242 | ¥29,980 | $208 |
PlayStation VR2 | ¥89,980 | $642 | ¥74,980 | $519 |
Those are some pretty hefty increases, to be sure. According to Sony, the price hikes are due to "the recent challenging external environment, including the current fluctuations in the global economic situation, and the impact it will have on our business." Sony had previously raised the price of PS5 in Japan and other regions back in 2022 citing similar reasons.
Times have been tough for Sony of late, with PS5 sales slipping 21% in its Q1 financial reports for 2024, 900 workers laid off in March, and the horrific performance of hero shooter Concord, which flopped hard on Steam during its launch weekend. If you happen to be reading this in Japan and need a PS5, we suggest getting one sooner rather than later and save yourself some cash.
Source: Japanese PlayStation Blog + GamesIndustry.biz
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