PlayStation fans livid as Sony explains why PS5 price has increased by £170

We’re not quite at the stage where the PlayStation 5 is winding down per se, but its days are numbered.

The console is drawing towards the end of the fourth year of its lifecycle, and anyone who knows anything about PlayStation’s history will tell you that consoles typically reign for six to seven years.

The PlayStation 5 will surely treat us to a couple more bangers before its era is over. After all, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is on the way next year.

That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next couple of years fly by. You know what it’s like. We’ll start hearing about the PlayStation 6 only to be utterly baffled by just how quickly the PlayStation 5 came and went.

Before then, it does appear that a PlayStation 5 Pro model might emerge as a bridge between the current and next-gen.

Insiders are claiming the console will be revealed at a State of Play event in late September but as always, do take such a claim with a pinch of salt.

If the rumour is true, you’d expect that the base console might fall in price but it’s recently caused upset doing quite the opposite.

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PlayStation fans in Japan were recently shocked to discover that several pieces of company hardware would soon rise in price with the change coming into effect on 2 September.

As reported by Famitsu, the disc-drive PlayStation 5 will increase from 66,980 yen to 79,980 yen, and the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will rise from 59,980 yen to 72,980 yen.

DualSense Wireless Controllers will now cost 9,480 yen instead of 11,480 yen, and the PlayStation VR2 headset will cost 74,980 yen, up from 89,980 yen.

It’s very strange to see such an increase this far into a console’s life cycle, especially considering there’s that rumoured Pro model on the way.

Well, in an effort to answer our questions, PlayStation Japan has emerged with a statement.

“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has decided to revise the suggested retail prices of PlayStation 5 and related peripherals in Japan from Monday, September 2, 2024,” it began.

“Given the recent challenging external environment, including the current fluctuations in the global economic situation, and the impact it will have on our business, we have reached this decision.”

While the statement refers to the global economic situation, it would be remiss to point out that in particular, the Japanese economy is currently in a period of struggle.

“I live in Japan and EVERYTHING is increasing in price like crazy. Meanwhile salaries have been the exact same for about 30 years now. Companies aren't giving raises, etc,” wrote Reddit user Japanimal69 in response to the news.

If you were thinking of picking up a PlayStation 5 soon, specifically in Japan, you may want to wait until the dust has settled.