For
the
second
time
in
the
console’s
history,

Sony
has
increased
the
price
of
the

PlayStation
5.
The
new
pricing
effects
the
UK,
mainland
Europe,
Australia
and
New
Zealand.
Somewhat
surprisingly,
the
US
remains
untouched.
But
hey,
at
least
the
RRP
of
the
disc
drive
has
dropped,
so
that’s
nice,
I
guess.

In
the
UK
and
Europe,
the
PS5
Digital
Edition
is
going
up
by
£40/€50,
bringing
the
RRP
to
£429.99/€499.99.
The
normal
PS5
with
disc
drive
has
not
had
its
price
increased.

For
more
context,
the
digital-only
PS5
launched
in
the
UK
and
Europe
for
£359.99/€399.
The
price
of
both
versions
of
the
console
was
then
increased
in
2022,
raising
the
digital
to
£389.99/€449.99.

In
other
words,
in
the
UK
and
Europe,
the
digital
PS5
now
costs
£70/€100
than
it
did
when
it
launched.

Meanwhile,
New
Zealand
and
Australia
face
price
hikes
on
both
the
regular
and
digital
PS5s.

In
Australia,
the
regular
PS5
will
see
a
AUD
$30
increase,
while
the
digital
edition
is
being
raised
by
a
whopping
AUD
$70.

In
New
Zealand,
the
regular
PS5
will
have
its
price
raised
by
NZD
$50,
while
the
digital
edition
goes
up
by
NZD
$90.

But
Why?

The
price
increase
were
announced
on
the
official
PlayStation
blog
where
Isabelle
Tomatis,
Vice
President
of
Global
Marketing,
attempted
to
explain
the
reasoning:
“With
a
backdrop
of
a
challenging
economic
environment,
including
high
inflation
and
fluctuating
exchange
rates,
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. “

Surprisingly,
the
recent
economic
chaos
caused
by
the
United
States’
tariff
hikes
(which
have
been
paused
for
now)
were
not
cited
as
one
of
the
reasons
for
the
PS5’s
RRP
being
increased.
However,
it
would
be
difficult
to
imagine
that
it
has
not
played
at
least
some
role
in
the
decision.

Also
worth
noting
is
that
the
US
has
not
seen
any
price
increases.
It
has
been
reported
that

Sony
has
been
stockpiling
consoles
in
the
US
in
a
bid
to
avoid
the
tariffs.

Whatever
the
reasoning,
another
price
increase
is
a
massive
blow
for
consumers
in
a
time
when
consoles
are
already
expensive
and
the
cost
of
living
has
risen
to
insane
levels.
Gaming
has
always
been
a
luxury
hobby,
but
at
least
we
always
benefited
from
the
idea
that
consoles
usually
decrease
in
price.
The
PS4,
for
example,
saw
a
$100
dollar
price
cut
three
years
after
it
launched.
But
now
we
live
in
a
world
where
our
consoles
actually
cost
significantly
more
than
when
they
first
came
out.

PS5
Disc
Drive
Price
Drop

As
part
of
the
console
price
hike,
Sony
also
revealed
that
it’s
knocking
down
the
RRP
of
the
standalone
disc
drive
that
can
be
added
to
the
PS5
digital
edition.
The
price
drops
are
actually
quite
large,
such
as
the
UK
getting
a
£30
decrease.