Sony has announced a significant price increase for the PlayStation 5 in Japan, which will see the cost of both the standard and digital editions of the console increase by ¥13,000 (around £70).
Announcing the news in a post on its Japanese PlayStation blog, Sony blamed the price increase (according to Google Translate) on “the recent challenging external environment, including current fluctuations in the global economic situation, and the impact this will have on our business.”
On September 2, the new prices for the physical version of the PlayStation 5 will increase from ¥66,980 (around £350) to ¥79,980 (around £420). As for the disc-free digital edition, its price will increase from ¥59,980 (£314) to ¥72,980 (£380).
The new PlayStation 5 prices aren’t the first time Sony has chosen to increase the price of the PlayStation 5 in Japan. The standard console was originally priced at ¥49,980 when it released in 2020, while the Digital Edition cost ¥39,980, an increase of approximately ¥160 and ¥170 respectively since its launch.
Sony’s announcement also confirmed price increases for a wide range of PlayStation accessories in Japan, with products like the DualSense wireless controllers and PlayStation VR2 all set to be more expensive from September 2.
Sony’s last Japanese PS5 price increase was in 2022, which saw a £30/€50 hike for the console in the UK and Europe, taking the price to £480/€550 for the standard edition and £390/€450 for its Digital Edition counterpart. There’s no indication that its latest Japanese price increase will be reflected in other territories.
