Sony announces PlayStation price hike in US as tariffs bite

21st August 2025 00:47

(Alliance News) - Sony Group Corp on Wednesday said it is bumping up the price of PlayStation 5 video game consoles by USD50 in the US due to a "challenging economic environment."

Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump hike the cost of goods brought into the US, leaving companies like Japan's Sony to decide whether to pass that on to consumers.

"Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment," Sony Interactive Entertainment Vice President of Global Marketing Isabelle Tomatis said in a post.

After initially being threatened with a 25% hike, Japan negotiated a 15% tariff with the Trump administration.

"As a result, we've made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the US."

The new price for PS5 will be USD550, with a "Digital Edition" priced at USD500 and a Pro version for USD750, according to Tomatis.

In May, Sony warned it was considering tweaking prices in the US, estimating that tariffs could wind up costing the company about USD680 million in the fiscal year.

Sony shares closed 1.0% lower at JPY4,128.00 in Tokyo on Wednesday.

source: AFP

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