If you thought laying hands on a PlayStation 5 was difficult before, it may get even tougher, effective immediately. Sony has announced price increases for the console around the world, with immediate effect. The only location explicitly left off the price increase train is the United States.
New PlayStation 5 recommended retail pricing is coming to “…select markets in the EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regions, plus Canada.” The reason? The “global economic environment”, obviously.
Paying the price for a PlayStation 5
South African buyers don’t have to panic immediately, though we’re not out of the woods entirely. Several countries already have new pricing for the popular console. This includes all of Europe, the UK, China, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
In Europe, the price of a disc-drive PS5 has climbed from €500 to €550. The other locations all have similar increases. Sony says that “…this price increase is a necessity given the current global economic environment.” The company went on to say that its “…top priority continues to be improving the PS5 supply situation”.
You might be breathing a sigh of relief at not seeing South Africa on the hit list. Well, hang on there bucko. South Africa tends to share in the UK’s release dates and pricing. Add that to Sony’s little disclaimer that “Select markets in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM not listed above may also receive price increases” and your PlayStation 5 ambitions might still be slightly wounded.
We’ve reached out to Sony PlayStation’s local distributor here in South Africa to see if we’re on the chopping block or not. We’ll update you once the company responds. Currently, the base price for a PlayStation 5 (with no extras) in South Africa is R12,000. We’d really prefer it if it didn’t climb any higher. Not in this economy.