Summary
- Tariffs on China likely responsible for PlayStation 5 price hikes worldwide.
- Price changes to come soon, possibly within the next few days.
- Sony cites challenging economic environment for price increases, uncertainty remains in the tech industry.
Earlier this year, we let our readers know that increased economic uncertainty would probably lead to higher prices on tech, and now that a global trade war is seemingly in full effect, prices are indeed on the rise, with companies like Anker confirming that they are raising prices to deal with tariffs. And while this may seem like just a US problem, it has had a rippling effect on the global economy, raising costs on goods worldwide with tech being especially vulnerable.
Unfortunately, it looks like this has also had an effect on the international gmaing world as news broke over the weekend that Sony has implemented a 15% price hike on the PlayStation 5 in multiple territories, including Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the price hikes will stop there.
Tariffs on China will likely lead to price hikes on the PS5 in the US
The change could come in just a few days
Sony specifically said in a statement addressing the price hikes that these changes are due to a «challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates.» Though the increased US tariffs that were imposed last week on China (where the PS5 is manufactured and assembled), were not mentioned, and prices in the US haven’t changed yet, it’s hard not to imagine that price hikes are coming soon, probably within the next few days.
President Trump has indicated that he is willing to make concessions for the tech industry, with news breaking over the weekend that smartphones, computers and some other electronics would be excluded from the most recent tariffs. In theory this could extend to game consoles, but with economic uncertainty looming over what looks to be the biggest trade war in a century, Sony will likely follow Nintendo when it comes to being cautious about their console’s future in America, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the 15% price hikes still roll out in North America, despite these potential concessions.
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