Sony is preparing to announce a PS5 price increase in Europe according to insiders, which could see the standard console cost over £550.
The current PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S console generation has been peculiar for many reasons, but console prices increasing over time, rather than decreasing, is perhaps the most unprecedented.
Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were cheaper when they first launched nearly six years ago, which is unheard of in the gaming console space. Sony last increased the price for the PlayStation 5 in April last year, blaming the ‘challenging economic environment’, aka Trump’s tariffs.
While the prospect of another hike seems unfathomable with the next generation supposedly around the corner, several insiders have claimed Sony is preparing to do exactly that across Europe.
According to French YouTuber Gyo, who doesn’t have a proven track record when it comes to leaks, Sony is set to increase the price of the standard PlayStation 5 Slim with a disc drive by €100 (£87), from €549.99 to €649.99 (£562.54).
The PS5 Pro, meanwhile, will jump €100 to a whopping €899.99 (£779), while the PS Portal will cost an extra €30 at €249.99 (£216).
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While it’s unclear how these increases will affect the UK if they are legitimate, the PlayStation 5 Slim currently costs £479.99 here, so it’s possible the console’s price could go as high as £559.99, to stay in line with the rest of Europe.
This hike has since been corroborated by Spanish insider eXtas1s, who has been accurate in the past. Additionally, he claims the price increase across the PS5 Slim, PS5 Pro, and PS Portal will be announced later today (March 27).
Sony’s last price hike in Europe and the UK only affected the PS5 digital edition, which went up to €499.99 and £429.99, respectively. As such, if there were going to be any further price bumps, it’s likely that it would affect the aforementioned consoles.
Just as an alarming reminder, the standard PlayStation 5 launched at £449.99 in the UK and €499.99 in Europe. So if these hikes come to fruition, the console will have gone up in price by over £100 in just over five years.
As for why these hikes might be happening now, the global memory crisis might have something to do with it, which has already impacted the rollout of Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine.
While it’s worth taking these rumours with a pinch of salt, we won’t have long to wait to see if they are legitimate. In the meantime, if you’re planning to buy a PlayStation 5, you might be better picking one up sooner rather than later.
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