First modification: 25/08/2022 – 13:26Last modification: 25/08/2022 – 13:23
Tokyo (AFP) – The Japanese group Sony announced on Thursday that its popular PlayStation 5 (PS5) console will be sold more expensive in most markets, except the US, due to inflation and adverse currency effects.
The price of the PS5 in Europe will rise 10%, to 549.99 euros, for the console with a disc reader, and 12.5%, to 449.99 euros, for its digital version, according to a statement published in the PlayStation official blog.
Prices also increased “with immediate effect” in the UK, China, Australia, Mexico and Canada, while in Japan they will not rise until September 15.
The Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa regions will also be affected.
Sony attributed the increases to “high global rates of inflation and adverse currency trends.”
“Given these challenging economic conditions, (Sony) made the difficult decision to increase the PS5’s recommended retail price in certain markets,” Jim Ryan, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in a statement.
He did not detail the reason why Sony did not include the United States in the increases, despite the fact that the world’s largest economy also faces strong inflation.
Ryan recalled that Sony’s priority remains improving the production of its PS5 consoles, which suffers from ongoing supply chain disruptions that often make it difficult for consumers to access these products.
© 2022 AFP