Sony has announced price increases for its PlayStation consoles in multiple East Asian markets, effective May 1. The hikes follow similar changes a month ago in the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. In South Korea, prices have risen by up to 43 percent from launch levels.
Sony revealed the latest price adjustments for PlayStation 5 models, digital editions, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal across countries including South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The changes, detailed on the PlayStation Blog, take effect on May 1 and cite global economic conditions as the cause, amid a RAM shortage and rising component costs. Sony also holds a dominant position in the high-end console market, according to reports on the adjustments. In South Korea, the disc-drive PS5 will cost ₩948,000 ($644), the digital edition ₩858,000 ($583), the PS5 Pro ₩1,298,000 ($882), and the PlayStation Portal ₩378,000 ($250), Inven Global reports. This marks a 43 percent increase from the original launch price of the all-digital PS5 in that market. Other countries see similar rises: Singapore's PS5 at SGD 849, Malaysia's at MYR 2,799, Thailand's at THB 20,990, Indonesia's at IDR 11,399,000 for the standard model, the Philippines at PHP 40,032, and Vietnam at VND 16,900,000. These moves come shortly after price hikes in Western markets, reflecting ongoing pressures in console manufacturing.