Sony has announced a price hike for PlayStation 5 hardware in the US, with all three major models of the PS5 getting price increases starting from tomorrow.
In a PlayStation Blog post, Sony says that due to a "challenging economic environment" (which the company says that "many global businesses" are also navigating), the recommended retail price for PS5 hardware will be increasing from August 21st.
The base PlayStation 5 model will be going up to $549.99, the PS5 Digital Edition (which, as a reminder, doesn't come with a disc drive) will cost you $499.99, and the PS5 Pro will jump to a fairly eye-watering $749.99. Again, as a reminder, the Pro doesn't come with a disc drive either.
While the PS5 hardware itself will be getting price rises, the console's accessories will remain at their current recommended price, and there are "no other price changes to announce for additional markets", Sony says.
This move is in line with a similar decision made by Microsoft back in May, with the tech giant blaming "market conditions" for putting up the prices of its Xbox Series X|S consoles, as well as certain games in the holiday season.
However, Microsoft subsequently walked back its decision to charge $80 for certain major releases (including The Outer Worlds 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7), although there's every chance prices will rise in future.
For what it's worth, Sony hasn't committed to charging $80 for its games either, with holiday releases like the upcoming Ghost of Yōtei costing $70 as usual. Other publishers, like EA, also won't be raising their game prices for the foreseeable future.
The market conditions that have necessitated this PS5 price hike are also likely what's stopping Microsoft from announcing pricing for its ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, which are due to launch in October.
It's likely said market conditions are referring to the tariffs imposed on many countries around the world by President Donald Trump, with components and manufacturing processes becoming exponentially more expensive for many hardware manufacturers as a result.
