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Topline Sony announced it was raising the price of its PlayStation 5 console in some international markets, including Europe, as suppliers warned the soon-to-be-released Nintendo Switch 2 and other consoles are likely to see their U.S. prices go up, as the gaming devices were not exempted from the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Sony hiked the price of it PlayStation 5 in some international markets on Sunday and a U.S. hike may .
.. More follow soon.
Key Facts In a blog post on Sunday, Sony announced it was raising the price of the PlayStation 5 in “select markets” in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The company blamed the price increase on “a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates” and noted that prices for the “digital edition” in Europe will rise from $512 (€449.99) to €569 (€499.
99). Prices will rise from $514 (£389.99) to $567.
50 (£429.99) in the U.K.
, while Australia and New Zealand will also see similar increases. Shortly after Sony’s announcement, Nikkei Asia reported that an internal memo from a major Chinese supplier for console-maker Nintendo suggested that the upcoming $450 Switch 2 could also see its price go up. Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcement event coincided with Nintendo’s unveiling of the highly anticipated Switch 2 console earlier this month, but the steep levies forced the company to delay its pre-orders in the U.
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Isn’t There A Special Exemption For Electronics In The Tariffs? Late on Friday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that various electronic products will be exempted from the Trump administration’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on China and other countries.
These exemptions cover certain devices like smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer chips (CPUs and GPUs), flat panel displays, among other things. However, there is no special carve-out for game consoles, which could face at least 145% tariffs if they are made in China or at least 10% if they are made elsewhere, like Vietnam. However, Nikkei reports that only a small number of Nintendo consoles are made in Vietnam, while Sony and Microsoft manufacture a majority of their PlayStation and Xbox consoles, respectively, in China.
How Much Could Console Prices Rise? According to Bloomberg , game consoles could see a 30% hike in their price as a “base-case scenario.” The PlayStation 5’s Digital Edition is priced at $399 in the U.S.
, while the pricier version with a disc drive starts at $449 . A 30% hike could push the prices to $518 and $583. Similarly, the Switch 2’s already controversial $450 price could go up to $583 if a 30% increase is applied.
What Has Nintendo Said About U.s. Switch 2 Pricing? The Switch 2 is set to release globally on June 5 and the U.
S. pre-orders for the console were set to start on April 9. However, a few days after Trump’s tariff announcement, Nintendo announced it was delaying pre-orders in the U.
S. “to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” The Switch 2’s higher-than-expected $450 price had raised speculation that Nintendo may have factored tariffs into its price; however, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has told various outlets that this was not the case.
Further Reading Nintendo Delays Pre-Orders Of The Switch 2 In U.S. To ‘Assess Tariffs’ (Forbes) Nintendo Switch 2 and Sony PS5 Likely to Get Price Hikes Due to Tariffs (Bloomberg).
