How much would you pay to play the latest video games? How about half your monthly take-home pay?
That’s what the average Japanese consumer in their 20s might have to fork over for a top-of-the line PlayStation. Sony Group announced last week that the PlayStation 5 Pro, a souped-up version of the console that first launched in 2020 for ¥43,978 ($312), will retail for ¥119,980, including tax, in the country that gave the brand to the world.
It’s the first time for a PlayStation console to cost over ¥100,000, a psychologically important barrier in a nation where prices and salaries alike have long been largely flat. It’s nearly three times what the PS4 Pro cost when it went on sale in November 2016, and, of course, salaries have not tripled in that time. Recent gains to make up for inflation have yet to significantly move the needle.
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