The new disk-free PS5 “digital edition” will land on 21 November for ¥55,000 (about €340), roughly 25 per cent cheaper than the current model. The move mirrors Nintendo’s own bargain-hunting effort with the Switch 2 earlier this year.
It’s a bit of a turnaround, given Sony spent the last few years hiking PS5 prices in several markets since its 2020 debut. The Japanese outfit blamed those on supply chain chaos and the US tariffs tiff.
This will be the first region-locked console the company has made since the PS2 two decades ago, meaning it will only work with a Japanese PlayStation account. The idea is to offset exchange-rate headaches that made the PS5 look pricier in Japan than in the US.
The cheaper model keeps the same specs as the digital edition but sports a slightly tweaked case. Sony hopes it’ll tempt Japanese gamers who’ve been putting off expensive toys thanks to rising prices.
MST Financial analyst David Gibson said: “A price cut in Japan could be because Sony thinks they have costs for the console under control. Recent hits might have convinced Sony to 'give a little bit back to Japan, and Japanese consumers, to ensure the domestic market is strong.”
The Japan-only PS5 will still cost more than Nintendo’s Switch 2, which sells for ¥49,980 (about €310). Nintendo’s hybrid box has already shifted 10 million units since June, while the original Switch sits at 154 million, just shy of Sony’s PS2 record.
In the quarter to September, Sony sold 3.9 million PS5 units, slightly up on last year. The firm raised its operating income forecast by eight per cent to ¥1.43 trillion (about €8.9 billion) on the back of solid anime and gaming sales and fewer tariff-related issues. Its shares jumped 5.5 per cent and are now up more than 40 per cent this year.
Gibson noted: “The typical console life is seven or eight years, so we are definitely late-cycle with PS5.”
The domestic price cut “sends a signal to developers in Japan that you want to strengthen the market, which will also help when you launch your next device,” he said.
Sony might be late to the discount party, but cutting prices at home could buy it a little goodwill before the next big thing arrives.
