PS5 released in late 2020 for AU$749.95 RRP in Australia, before rising to AU$799.95 a couple of years later. Now there's more bad news: the console will receive its second price hike in Australia, effective immediately, bringing the RRP up to an eyewatering AU$829.95 for the disc version, or AU$749.95 for the digital version.
"With a backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates, SIE has made the tough decision to raise the recommended retail price (RRP) of the PlayStation 5 console in select markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia and New Zealand," Sony said in its announcement, adding that the price of the PS5 Pro will remain steady at AU$1,199.95 in Australia.
It's crappy news for anyone who's held out on buying a PS5, especially in the hope of a late-generation bargain. There is a silver lining though, albeit a potentially shortlived one: the recently released PS5 Astro Bot bundle is still available for only AU$724, which means over AU$100 off the new RRP, plus one of the best PS5 platformers.
But how long is that going to last? Hard to say, but probably not for long.
Amazon isn't the only retailer offering that price: If you've got a Big W nearby with stock, you could run down there for the AU$724 price. The same goes for JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.
In better news, the PS5 disc drive has had its RRP dropped from AU$160 to AU$124.95, so if you have a digital PS5 and wanted this once-rare peripheral, it's now slightly cheaper. Hooray.
The US tariffs have caused havoc in the tech world. Most relevantly, they compelled Nintendo to delay Switch 2 pre-orders in the United States due to uncertainty, though Sony was hit harder in the aftermath of the tariff announcements earlier this month.
