- In the week from March 30th to April 5th, the base PS5 sold only 558 units in Japan after Sony implemented new prices.
- The console was still selling in thousands the week before, alongside the Pro edition.
- However, the entire PS5 family has taken a massive hit, except for the cost-effective $330 Digital edition specific to Japan.
Gamers around the world were hit with one of the worst price hikes this generation when Sony announced that the PS5 would now retail for a whopping $650. The console’s Pro edition took the worst hit from this situation, being priced at $900 after originally launching for $700 in 2024.
The cost surge was criticised globally by fans, who said players are being priced out of enjoying video games. Unsurprisingly, the price increase has reduced PS5 sales to such a low level that the console sold only in the hundreds in Japan this week.
Why it matters: The industry’s difficult circumstances forced Sony to raise prices, but if the company doesn’t find an alternative to lower its hardware costs, it will fall behind Nintendo in the next generation.
According to Famitsu, the base PlayStation 5 only sold 558 units in Japan this week following the price increase on 2nd April. The base model sold almost 3k units in Japan before Sony announced the new costs, and saw a substantial drop-off in the aftermath.
From March 30th to April 5th, the PS5 Pro also shipped only 840 units, seeing a steep decline from its 5k sales in the previous week, when prices were still normal.
On the other hand, the cheaper Japan-only model of the PS5 Digital edition, which is retailing for $330, kept the hardware afloat in the market, moving 12.1k units. The new PlayStation boss decided to introduce this region-locked edition to regain market share in the country.
From the looks of it, the price-cut hardware is the only thing keeping PS5 relevant in Japan, as Nintendo continues to dominate with record-breaking sales that helped the Switch 2 reach 5 million shipments in the country faster than any previous console.
Do you think PlayStation can bounce back from these hefty price hikes, or is Nintendo too far ahead now? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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