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Sony Group is elevating the worldwide costs of its PlayStation 5 consoles, which includes a $100 boost in the U.S. This signals its second price adjustment in under a twelvemonth, as the Japanese company contends with escalating expenditures for vital constituents like memory chips.
The technology sector’s endeavor to expand artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure has compelled chipmakers to prioritize more profitable data-center chips, thereby restricting availability for personal electronics.
The revised U.S. pricing, commencing April 2, will set the standard PS5 at $649.99, an increase from $549.99. The Digital Edition is now priced at $599.99, while the premium PS5 Pro will be available for $899.99.
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Sony is elevating the price of its PS5 console by $100 in the U.S. commencing this week, citing a scarcity of memory chips.(Jim Vondruska/Reuters)
The cost of the PlayStation Portal remote player will also rise to $249.99, starting at $199.99 previously.
Comparable price hikes will be implemented across Europe and Japan, subsequent to what the company termed a “thorough assessment” of mounting financial strains within international distribution networks.
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Sony previously increased the price of its PS5 console by $50 last year.(Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Market observers predict these console price increases are expected to hinder expansion in the video-game market this year.
Epic Games, the developer of “Fortnite,” also attributed languid console sales as a contributing factor to the reduction of 1,000 positions it disclosed days prior.
GAMESTOP CLOSING DOWN 30 NEW YORK OUTLETS AS PART OF COUNTRYWIDE TERMINATIONS ATTRIBUTED TO DECLINING REVENUE
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SONY | SONY GROUP CORP. | 19.92 | +0.02 | +0.10% |
| MSFT | MICROSOFT CORP. | 358.96 | +2.19 | +0.61% |
During the crucial October-December festive period, sales of Sony’s PlayStation 5 declined by 16% compared to the previous year, reaching 8 million units. The console has been available for purchase for approximately six years.
Sony previously increased PS5 prices by approximately $50 in the U.S. in August of the prior year. Microsoft similarly elevated the cost of its console, the Xbox, in 2025.
The escalating need for AI chips spurred Elon Musk to reveal intentions for two of his enterprises, Tesla and SpaceX, to collaborate on a sophisticated AI chip production plant.
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He stated that the named “Terafab” will comprise two units: one dedicated to AI chips for Tesla’s electric vehicles and Optimus humanoid robots; while the other will concentrate on AI chips for space-based data centers developed by SpaceX.
“We either construct the Terafab or we lack the chips,” Musk affirmed.
Reuters provided input for this article.