Sony is the last big player to increase prices, following similar announcements from Nintendo and Microsoft who issued price hikes earlier this year
Gaming is becoming more of a luxury than a hobby.
Following waves of tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump, the gaming industry is becoming more expensive to the average consumer. Just this week, Sony announced it would increase the price of the now five-year-old PlayStation 5 console in a stunning display of where the economy is under the current administration.
Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment, Isabelle Tomatis, Sonys vice president of global marketing, said Wednesday in a statement. I have to admit that I never expected President Trump to throw this big of a wrench into the gaming industry.
Sony is the last big player to increase prices, following similar announcements from Nintendo and Microsoft who issued price hikes earlier this year. A standard Playstation 5 is now up $50 at $549.99, an Xbox Series X is up $100 at $599.99 and the original Nintendo Switch is up $30 at $339.99.
Thankfully, the Playstation 5 price changes won’t take effect immediately and consoles sold outside the US are safe for now. Us gamers still have a problem on our hands.
The price of video games themselves have been steadily increasing as wellnot due to tariffs but a mixture of inflation and corporate greed. The base price for any new title is currently $69.99, but only because the cost of making a triple AAA game in 2025 can sometimes exceed $200 million.
Then you have companies like Nintendo that suddenly starts selling its popular franchise games at $90. Don’t be fooled, the big three in gaming have been looking for any excuse to bump up costs. If you haven’t noticed, gaming companies have been slowly grooming us with virtual currency, battle passes, live-service games and battle royales.
Truthfully, we’re here because of Fortnite.
Not to mention the anti-consumer shift that Playstation and Nintendo has undergone since the beginning of the latest console generation. Following the launch of the PS5 in 2020, Sony revamped its Playstation Plus subscription service for the worst in a failed attempt to compete with Microsoft’s Game Pass.
The company made a subscription required for online play, effectively trapping Call of Duty players. The rule didn’t apply to Fortnite, so there was that. Furthermore, sales on the PS Store are almost nonexistent now that every game is sold at full price no matter how old it is.
Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories
Gaming has become a pass time for adults and successful content creators. We can fight back though.
Stop buying Battle Passes, virtual currency and anything a developer tries to see you separate from the game. It understandable the console would become more expensive, but actual games shouldn’t be touched.
Sign up to our FREE newsletter and get the top stories to your inbox
DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.
Leave a Reply