Gamers face price rise on PS5 but not Switch

Gamers looking to buy a new console face a price rise if they want a Sony PlayStation 5, but not if they choose a Nintendo Switch.

PS5s will cost an extra £30 in the UK, with EU consoles going up by €50 (£42) and Canadian consoles by CAD $20 (£13).

Sony is increasing its console prices because of inflation, it says, but Nintendo says that despite rising costs, its prices will stay the same.

Meanwhile, PC gamers may soon be able to save money on their hardware.

Jensen Huang, chief executive of tech company Nvidia, said the company had overproduced graphics cards, which have been in short supply in recent years.

“Our strategy is to sell in well below the current sell-through levels in the marketplace to give the channel an opportunity to correct,” he said, according to the Verge.

This could mean the price of high-end graphics cards, including the RTX 3000 series, and gaming laptops falling.

No PS5 rise in US

Despite the increase in cost of the PS5 in many jurisdictions, there will be no price rises in the US.

Piers Harding-Rolls, industry analyst at gaming research firm Ampere Analysis, told the BBC the lack of a price increase in the US was a result of the strength of the dollar.

“Sony is a global entity which is operating I guess more consistently in lots of global markets, so they are impacted by currency exchanges and the strength of the dollar,” he said.

“And that’s why you’re seeing price increases in some markets, but not in others – you’ve got this nuanced approach which is trying to reflect the impact on the costs of goods in relation to those specific markets.”

Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and chief executive said in a blog post: “The global economic environment is a challenge that many of you around the world are no doubt experiencing.

“We’re seeing high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends, impacting consumers and creating pressure on many industries.”

But Mr Harding-Rolls said he did not expect the price increase to put off gaming enthusiasts.

“I think pent-up demand for PS5, even though the availability is not good, means that this price increase won’t have a huge impact at all,” he said.

“I don’t see it changing Sony’s outlooks or their sales. I think they’re going to sell all the products that they can get into market.”

He added the move could potentially hand an advantage to Microsoft, which makes the Xbox console, “because it has the cheaper console in the market coupled with Game Pass”.

The BBC has approached Microsoft for comment.

‘Value of fun’

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told financial newspaper Nikkei: “In order to offer unique entertainment to a wide range of customers, we want to avoid pricing people out.

“Our competition is the variety of entertainment in the world, and we always think about pricing in terms of the value of the fun we offer.”

source: BBC