A PS5 now costs more than $800 in Australia thanks to price bump

It’s now more expensive than ever to get a PS5 in Australia, as Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed an immediate price increase across the globe.

Described as a “tough decision” in an announcement via the PlayStation blog, Sony’s game console now costs more in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK.

In a statement to GadgetGuy, Sony Interactive Entertainment said it is “increasing the recommended retail price of PS5 in select markets due to the challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates.”

Australians now have to pay $829.95 for a PS5 with a disc drive, and $749.95 for the digital version. That’s $30 and $70 more expensive, respectively, or roughly a 4% and 10% increase from when the slimline versions of the console launched in November 2023.

Sony Interactive Entertainment confirmed that the $1,199 PS5 Pro console remains unaffected by the price increase. Conversely, the previously hard-to-find standalone disc drives that function as add-ons for the digital console are now cheaper. Now priced at $124.95 in Australia, a PS5 disc drive costs $35 less, nearly 22% cheaper than at launch.

When asked about the cheaper disc drive price, Sony Interactive Entertainment responded by explaining “we adjust pricing for products accordingly based on various factors at the global, regional, and local levels.”

It’s not the first time the current-generation PlayStation has increased in price. Australia saw a price bump in 2022, raising the cost from $749.95 to 799.95 for the disc drive model, and $599.95 to $649.95 for the digital version.

Since the console’s launch in 2020, the disc-inclusive console’s price has risen by nearly 10%.

More remarkably, the PS5 console without a disc drive costs $150 more than it did at launch, increasing by 20% to now cost as much as the disc version in 2020.

Console pricing has been a hot topic, with the Nintendo Switch 2 confirmed to cost $699.95, $250 more than its predecessor. With the PS5 price increase, it’s a further indication of gaming’s growing cost.

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