BRITAIN’S gamers will have to fork out even more for a PlayStation 5 after a surprise price hike.
Sony announced the increase overnight, with higher pricing for the console kicking in immediately.
3
It means that Brits will now pay £429.99 for the PS5 Digital Edition.
When the PS5 Digital Edition launched in late 2020, it only cost £359.99.
This went up to £389.99 in 2022, and the cost of the machine has now risen again.
It means you’ll now pay £70 more compared to the original price of a PS5 Digital Edition, and £40 extra versus last week’s mark-up.
Sony said it was increasig prices in several regions, although notably not the United States – despite Donald Trump’s ongoing trade tariff threats.
The Japanese tech giant blamed “a backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates”.
PlayStation’s Isabelle Tomatis said: “SIE has made the tough decision to raise the recommended retail price (RRP) of the PlayStation 5 console in select markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia and New Zealand.”
The price of the new PS5 Pro hasn’t changed at all.
And there’s a surprise decrease for a popular PS5 accessory: the Disc Drive.
This lets you upgrade the PS5 Digital Edition to have a Disc Drive.
It previously retailed for £99.99, but will now only set you back £69.99 – a £30 price cut.
THE PRICE IS…WRONG?
The PS5 came out on November 12, 2020 in two versions.
There was a higher priced PS5 with a built-in disc drive, or a slightly cheaper Digital Edition that only offers downloaded or streamed gameplay.
The console was an instant hit, quickly selling out with gamers desperately hunting for anywhere that would flog them a console.
3
Since then, the price of the Digital Edition has crept up, leaving gamers disappointed.
Fans reacted poorly to the news on Reddit’s PS5 forum.
One wrote: “This seems weird. Four years and a half in a generation and it is more expensive compared to launch.”
Another said: “Has there ever been a console that INCREASED in price as time went on? Every other console I can remember had steady decreases to price as time went on.”
PS5 MODELS – THE RELEASE HISTORY
There are several versions of the PS5…
PlayStation 5 – November 2020
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – November 2020
PlayStation 5 Slim – November 2023
PlayStation 5 Pro – November 2024
30th Anniversary Edition – November 2024
Picture Credit: Sony PlayStation
A frustrated gamer added: “Man at this rate gaming is fast approaching luxury status instead of a hobby.”
And one complained: “I’ve been playing for ages and I’ve never experienced price increases on old consoles before. It’s insane.”
The new prices are effective immediately, and have already gone live on the official PlayStation Store.
Sony has confirmed that the price of a regular PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive remains unchanged.
3
