PlayStation 5 receives a significant price increase, which could affect the next generation of consoles according to analysts

Sony has announced a significant price increase for the PlayStation 5 starting April 2nd. The standard console with a disc drive will cost 649.99 euros, while the digital version will remain at 599.99 euros.

Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro will be offered at a price of 899.99 euros. The company justifies this adjustment due to “ongoing pressures in the global economic landscape,” an argument that has become common in the industry.

A price increase that is not good for the industry

The announcement has sparked a debate among analysts about whether other giants in the sector, such as Microsoft and Nintendo, will follow the same trend of price increases.

Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere Analysis, has indicated that it would not be surprising to see similar increases in the consoles of these companies, especially due to the component crisis such as RAM, which has raised production costs. The demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is also contributing to this situation.

The implications of these increases not only affect the prices of consoles but could also have a negative impact on software sales. Harding-Rolls emphasizes that increasingly expensive hardware could limit access to gaming, especially for middle and low-income players, which could lead them to opt for more accessible alternatives, such as mobile games or free-to-play.

Looking to the future, some analysts speculate that the next generation of consoles, such as the PS6, could cost more than 750 euros, raising serious concerns about the affordability of gaming. Mat Piscatella, director of Circana, warns that if gaming devices are only affordable for the wealthy, it could lead to a setback in the growth of the sector, excluding millions of players from the gaming experience.

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