Sony has today announced that it will increase the price of every PS5 model it sells by $50 in the U.S., effective August 21.
The company made the announcement in a blog post on Wednesday. "Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment," said Isabelle Tomatis, VP of Global Marketing at Sony. "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."
The new PS5 lineup pricing is as follows:
- PlayStation 5 – $549.99
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
- PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
As noted, that's a $50 increase on the previous prices of $499, $449, and $699 for those models, respectively.
What's more, it's a far cry from the launch pricing of the PS5 in 2020, back when the Digital Edition only cost $399. Given the PS5 turns five in November, it's a stunning indictment of the state of economic affairs in the tech sector.
You do have a very small window to snipe one at the current price, as changes don't take effect until August 21.
- PlayStation 5 – $499.99 at Amazon
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $449.99 at Amazon
- PlayStation 5 Pro – $699.99
Earlier this year, the price of Xbox consoles increased worldwide. In a blog post on May 1, Microsoft said, "We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development." More recently, at the start of August, Nintendo raised the price of its Switch 1 ecosystem in the U.S.. While the Switch 2 remained unaffected, tariff uncertainty in the run-up to the launch did cause the company to delay pre-orders. Nintendo was the only company to specifically finger tariffs as the reason for economic uncertainty, stating it needed time "to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions."
With rumors that President Trump is considering a 300% tariff on chips made outside the U.S., building on a recent 100% chip tariff for some silicon, there's no sign the tumult will cease anytime soon. In the meantime, if you've been considering a PS5 purchase, this might be the push you need.
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