PS5 UK price hike comes with a consolation prize

Sony has announced it is significantly raising the price of the PS5 Digital Edition console in the UK, Europe, and beyond.

In a blog post, the company said it had made a “tough decision to raise the recommended retail price” on one of the best games consoles on the market by £40 from today (April 14).

The PS5 Digital Edition will now cosy £429.99 un the UK, which is up from the previous price of £389.99. In Europe, the price has gone up 50 Euros to $449.99. Sony is also pushing prices up in Australia and New Zealand too.

The price of the Disc Edition console remains unchanged in the UK in the UK and Europe, thankfully.

In somewhat better news, the external disc drive has been reduced significantly in price. In the UK it’ll be £69.99, down from £99.99. So if you want to upgrade at some point, you’ll be able to recoup most of the extra cash you had to put down for the disc-free console.

Before the Slim mid-cycle design revamp, Sony’s original PS5 digital-only model went on sale for £359.99 in 2020, so this is the second time the company has put the prices up and it equates to a £70 increase overall.

In the post, Sony said: “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.”

Interestingly the price remains the same in the United States for the time being. That’s interesting, given the real reason for the price increases is likely to be the imposition of tariffs on goods made in China entering the United States.

Sony, of course, is a Japanese company but manufactures the PS5 in China. The situation remains ever fluctuating with the tariffs of 145% on items entering the US, but with some recent exceptions added on smartphones, computer monitors and other electronics.

Opinion

Sony is being coy on the reasons for the price increases, citing exchange rates as the reason. But that’s not where the chaos lies here.

What’s upsetting the apple cart is the ever changing situation in the United States pertaining to tariffs placed on good deriving from trading partners. It seems a little unfair that the UK and Europe are essentially paying for these increases when its governments aren’t the ones acting so aggressively.

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