The sale price of the PlayStation 5 Digital Editition Of Sony has recently increased the 10-15% In several key markets, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This rise mainly concerns thedigital edition from the consolewhile the version with the record reader has slightly increased in price only in Australia and New Zealand. The only model remained unchanged is the PS5 Pro.
But what pushed Sony to make this decision? In short: a mix of complex global economic factors. The Japanese house indicated that high inflation, unstable exchange rates And Crescent costs of importsespecially towards the United States, have created a pressure that make an inevitable a “retouching” towards the official prices of their lists. And just to protect margins in the US market – one of the most strategic for Sony – the company has chosen to redistribute part of these costs on the other markets, for example, the price in Europe and in Italy has undergone an increase in 50 euros.
The causes of the increase in the price of Sony’s PlayStation 5: duties and exchange rates
In the current context, the Raise of the PS5 is not an isolated or sudden phenomenon. Already in theAugust 2022 The Japanese manufacturer had made a first retouching at the prices with similar motivations, linked to the growth of global inflation and the unfavorable trend of local currencies compared to the Japanese Yen.
One of the central elements in this dynamic is the question of customs dutieswho are already having an important impact on the tech world. Most of the PS5 hardware are assembled in China, a country subject to new export taxes to the United States which, according to commercial policies currently in force, reach up to 145%. This type of tax serve to make imported products more expensive to encourage internal production. In the case of a multinational like Sony, which operates on a global scale, these taxes represent a direct increase in distribution and sale costs. And since the game consoles are not among the temporarily exempt products from the duties, Sony finds himself having to make strategic choices on where and how to compensate.
Another non -negligible factor concerns the currencies behavior. In an unstable economic context, exchange rates – that is, the relative value between one coin and another – can swing quickly. For a Japanese company that sells in euros, Australian pounds or dollars, a weakening of these currencies compared to the Yen automatically means collecting less with the same price. Consequently, increasing prices is a way to keep revenues stable in yen. Sony has made explicit reference to this motivation in her official press release, speaking of “floating exchange rates” as one of the elements behind the decision.
The new prices of the PS5 Digital Edition
THE New PS5 Digital Edition pricesnow official, are as follows:
- Europeit went from € 449.99 to 499.99 €.
- United Kingdomhas gone from 389.99 £ to 429.99 £.
- Australiawent from 649.95 Aud $ a 749.95 AUD $.
- New Zealandit went from 769.96 NZD $ a 859.95 NZD $.
The version “standard“Of the PlayStation 5 he underwent slight increases only in Australia and New Zealand. The fact that the increases have affected the” Digital Edition “version of the Play Station 5 above, probably must be sought in the fact that, being without physical reader, this model pushes consumers to buy the digital version of the games directly from the Sony’s online store, on which the company obtains greater earnings.
The increases may not concern only the PS5
An interesting aspect of this story is the timing followed by Sony. The announcement of the increases came at a time when direct competitors are also evaluating similar strategies. Just to make you a concrete example, Nintendo has not yet opened the pre -orders of the new Switch 2 For the North American market, a sign that it could also provide for an adaptation of prices upwards.
In short, if you were wondering why buying a PS5 today costs you more than a few months ago, the answer is not to be sought in the desire for profit of a multinational like Sony, but in a plurality of macroeconomic factors which, inevitably, are impacting deeply on the pockets of each of us. We just have to observe how the market will react and if these increases will become the “new normality”.
