… These price hikes are expected to have knock-on effects on PC retailers, with Taiwan's Economic Daily noting that Chinese retailers are adjusting their prices, while e-commerce platforms are becoming reluctant to sell in anticipation of further price increases. …
The PlayStation 5 has seen a spike in US sales following announced price hikes, according to Circana's retail tracking service. …
… Valve recently blamed a shortage of Steam Decks on the AI boom , also announcing a delay for Steam Machines for similar AI reasons . This led Sony to reportedly consider a PS6 price hike , with Nintendo announcing a price hike for the Switch 2 in the US only today. …
… Here's the new regional pricing Sony has announced so far: United Kingdom PS5 – £569.99 PS5 Digital Edition – £519.99 PS5 Pro – £789.99 PlayStation Portal – £219.99 Europe PS5 – €649.99 PS5 Digital Edition – €599.99 PS5 Pro – €899.99 PlayStation Portal – €249.99 US PS5 – $649.99 PS5 Digital Edition… …
… And as part of the same announcement, Microsoft said it expects component prices to double again by the autumn of 2027, perhaps preparing players for another round of price hikes. This isn't the first time Microsoft has raised the price of Xbox consoles . …
… So, if you were thinking of grabbing a console before this holiday season, you may want to grab one soon before they're no longer available. Or hey, before they're slapped with more price hikes. …
… Given what's happening in the world at the moment - the AI bubble, the Iran war, the memory crisis - there's a lot of uncertainty about affordability and access to luxuries in the coming days. …
… So, can we expect more price hikes? The executive didn't offer a clear answer, but he did intimate that the days of subsidised console hardware are over. "As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses," he said. …
… That said, a near-$1,000 launch price for a new console would be a historically high price for PlayStation, but it's increasingly becoming the acceptable entry point today due to the ongoing, AI-driven RAM and storage shortages. …
… Microsoft yesterday said it expects "another doubling" in component pricing by autumn 2027, which presumably means one thing: more price hikes. Or perhaps exorbitantly priced next-generation machines, if any company is bold enough to introduce them in this economic situation. …