The PlayStation DualSense controller and the PlayStation 5 console.
Jakub Porzycki | Nurfoto | fake images
sony on Friday said it will raise prices on its flagship PlayStation 5 console range for the second time in less than a year, citing “pressures on the global economic landscape.”
In the United States, the PS5 disc edition will jump from $549.99 to $649.99, an increase of $100 since Sony last raised prices for the console last year. The digital edition of the device will also increase by $100 to $599.99. The PS5 Pro, the most powerful version of Sony’s console, gets a $150 increase to $899.99.
The price increases will take effect on April 2.
“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful consideration, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue to deliver high-quality, innovative gaming experiences to gamers around the world,” Sony said in a blog post.
When Sony raised prices globally last year, it was against the backdrop of continued high inflation and uncertainty caused by US tariffs.
The company is now facing an unprecedented increase in memory prices. Memory is a key component of the PS5 and prices have increased significantly as memory manufacturers direct their stock to the huge demand from AI data centers and supply remains tight.
Sony also raised the prices of the console in Japan, the United Kingdom and Europe. In the UK, each PS5 model will increase by £90 (around $120).
‘Unavoidable’ price increases?
Piers Harding-Rolls, head of gaming research at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC that price increases were inevitable due to rising memory prices.
“Sony has likely had price protections for its components for a certain period and this may well have come to an end,” Harding-Rolls said.
“With no signs of prices coming down…Sony will have made the decision to protect its tight hardware margins. It wouldn’t be a surprise if microsoft and nintendo did the same in the not too distant future.”
So far, Nintendo has kept prices stable for its flagship Switch 2 console, which launched last year.
“It’s awkward for Nintendo as they won’t want to increase the price of the Switch 2 as they try to establish the new platform,” Harding-Rolls said.
During an earnings call in February, a Sony executive said the company aims to mitigate the impact of higher memory costs by focusing on monetizing its current installed base of PS5 users and further expanding its revenue from software and network services.
Harding-Rolls said there could be greater pressure on component prices due to the war in the Middle East.
“A new wave of inflation is expected due to the war in the Middle East, and this will compound the effect of component price increases,” Harding-Rolls said.
