Sony considers PS5 price hikes to cover Trump’s tariffs

Sony’s $699.99 PS5 Pro could get particularly costly if prices spell up.

Sony conscionable announced its fiscal forecast for the adjacent year, and it’s expecting to beryllium impacted by tariffs to the tune of 100 cardinal yen (about $680 million). To compensate, the institution says it’s considering options including moving manufacturing to the US and expanding prices for consumers.

Speaking to investors during the company’s net call, Sony CFO Lin Tao confirmed that the institution is considering “passing on” the terms of tariffs to consumers successful bid to mitigate the interaction connected its bottommost line. Tao didn’t notation the PS5 by sanction though, and it’s imaginable that Sony could effort to support pricing connected its console done increases elsewhere successful its electronics business. Sony has already increased the terms of the PS5 this year, but lone successful the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

The PS5 did get a telephone retired from CEO Hiroki Totoki erstwhile discussing the anticipation of moving manufacturing to the US to debar the brunt of Donald Trump’s tariffs. He admitted that the console “can beryllium produced locally,” and that it would beryllium “an businesslike strategy” that “has to beryllium considered going forward.”

Over the 12 months ending successful March, Sony shipped 18.5 cardinal PS5 consoles — down somewhat from 20.8 cardinal the twelvemonth earlier — bringing its beingness shipments to 77.7 million.

Sony inactive manufactures the bulk of its PS5 hardware successful China, and truthful its gaming concern is particularly astatine hazard close now. Even aft the 90-day intermission and simplification successful rates announced this week, the 30 percent tariff connected imports into the US from China is substantially higher than the 10 percent complaint levied connected different countries, and games consoles were not included successful the exemptions for prime different electronics. Microsoft has already raised the terms of its Xbox consoles by up to $100, though Nintendo has truthful acold elected to keep Switch 2 pricing the same up of its motorboat adjacent month.

We whitethorn larn much astir Sony’s pricing plans going guardant erstwhile it announces the flagship WH-1000XM6 headphones tomorrow, which win the $399 XM5s.