Sony to Stimulate Japanese PS5 Sales with Cheaper, Language Locked Model

As long as this doesn't stop Japanese games from releasing in the west, this is good.

Taking a leaf out of Nintendo's book, smart honestly

Yeah, they definitely took the inspiration from Nintendo, which does the same with Switch 2. I hope it works, because the battle against Switch and mobile in Japan is really tough.

Nice to see a console getting cheaper in this generation for once.

Glad to see the Japanese audience getting a price cut 👍🏼

That's about a 20-25% price cut, maybe 3e% depending on how yoh feel like doing the math, so not bad. I like 55,000 over 72,980 that's for sure. I mean, it can't hurt. Make only a couple of million, hope they sell, then charge for PS+. And it let's them meet the Nintendo home console offer, so they were kind of nixed into a corner.

Perhaps this could work in a few places in the UK? A Brummie, Scouser or Geordie console would prove unplayable anywhere else and give Sony a nice boost on the way to Christmas! 😆

@ThroughTheIris56 Believe it or not the ps5 launched at 55000 yen physical in jp and went up by over 30,000 yen

I think it’s important that Sony tries to win back fans in Japan.

Apple sells cheaper in the US compared to here in Europe.

It’s not a problem to honour your home country a bit.

@bossuche9 Ok, but Yen depreciated almost 50% to dollar during 2020-2025! Considering that, the new price is super low.

@Stepan Yen depreciated but I don't think the price of everything went up by like 30,000 yen equivalent ratio for them.

Goes to show they are able to move on price when needed. Interesting considering all the increases recently.

I bought my ps5 for ¥55,000 before all the price increases. I like having the option to switch between Japanese and English. Hopefully the ps6 won’t be language locked from the get-go

@Nep-Nep-Freak To me I see this similar to the Switch 2 that is language locked or the prior Taiwan 3DS with limited eshop/networking features but in a other regions access way I assume this time to only Japanese features for their PS5 (I think), not the Chinese models of consoles (Nintendo's iQue ones, Nividia Shield licenses games or other examples Sony/Microsoft may have attempted Chinese consoles) type of thing.

This is where I came across that type of 3DS that I'm referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81c-zV5biGk&pp=ygUYYWtiZmFtaWx5aG9tZSB0YWl3YW4gM2Rz

Or maybe like the PSP Street/Wii Mini. Or Windows 10/11 S or something. More cut down versions software or otherwise. But not in the scale we think.

I can't remember if it's completely region locked (how much do Japanese users use other languages/eshop no clue but even still).

I mean in a way it could be comparable to prior consoles, or as if instead of a European console it would be English only. That makes it a more far comparison due to how much of Australian/European and others had manuals or all languages on disks/carts or region altering things per those versions for that language selection (censored content, Open instead of Vaxhaul for GT3, stuff like that as well or I guess when the Wii had Wii No Ma or other Japanese exclusive features consoles got back in the day). Or regions got those versions.

While US/JP got usually their own region's version of games/consoles and obviously consoles have less curated and more open to any eshop for any region (even Vita did just the account/memory card thing was more annoying then on PS4/5 do it) and otherwise with different accounts or whatever you want then this being a region cut down to only Japan services/games version again in this way Sony is presenting.

But it doesn't prevent other games releasing at all. It's just a access/feature reduction more so. It won't prevent games from other region kind of thing releasing or other stuff in the way your describing. As far as I understand it.

I mean if they wanted they could remove streaming services and other things and offer it as a module for a cost if they wanted but it isn't.

It's part of the console purchase regardless of if you want it as a games machine or not. So no DVD/blu-ray functionality removed from the laser of disk versions or streaming services or other features. That's all part of the purchase of any model still.

@get2sammyb
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this beg the question as to why they can't do similar with an English speaking model for UK/USA?

I wonder whether it will reset the “correct” and “cancel” buttons back to what they were in Japan for decades, and whether it will allow play of uncensored Japanese games released just in the Japanese market (although many smaller Japanese devs have already abandoned Sony due to their policies of 2018 onwards).

it's not a price drop. for people outside japan buying a japanese ps5 was cheap cause of money exchange, but to japanese people it was 500$ like everywhere else, then sony raised the price to stop people importing, but japanese people got screwed, cause now the ps5 was 800$.
this just gove an option to go back to the original price, and given that the switch 2 is roughly the same price, it helps being more competitive.

So doing what the switch 2 did then?

How about doing that for English??! 😝

Now do that with the ps5 pro and drop it $150 and maybe I'll but it 😉

Seems fair! This could damage sales in other parts of the world as customers could feel unfairly ripped off. But let’s be honest most of the public don’t keep an eye on news like this.

This might move the needle a bit to push some stock. Home consoles aren't suited for Japanese lifestyle. I wonder if the portal sells there.

Get ready for scammers selling it for full price in rest of the world in 3... 2... 1...

Shows you how much we are ripped off in the UK

@Rich33 nail on the head.

It's locked to Japanese to prevent other markets from benefiting from lower pricing.

Like many large corporations, Sony are all in favour of globalisation when it allows them to exploit cheap labour and cheap dirty energy by manufacturing in China, but less in favour of globalisation when we wish to do the same by sourcing our consoles or games from other markets with cheaper prices.

After all the investigations into Microsoft over the Activision blizzard deal, perhaps someone should take a look at Sony’s disproportionate market power, that they are using to overprice in Western markets and rip off consumers. In particular, their anti-competitive practices in relation to how games are sold.

This is why I am more than happy to purchase legal (not stolen) grey import PC/Xbox game keys via key sites that acquire them from other markets e.g. eastern Europe or Asia. It is notable that Sony games cannot be acquired in that manner as they keep a tight control so that they can charge exploitative prices in certain markets.

If I have to compete on pay for my job, against someone from Poland who has far lower living costs, then I should be able to buy products from Poland at lower prices to level the playing field.

Globalisation is either good for everyone or bad for everyone. It shouldn’t just be large corporations who reap the benefits whilst the everyman incurs the costs.

Seems like they aren't too proud to see a good business move from rivals and use it. Good.

@Dogbreath
I don't think too badly of Sony, and I don't see any need for an investigation.

To be fair, the only reason they have the market dominance they have now is because their main rival (Xbox) has been on a path of complete self destruction over a number of years.
The Activision acquisition was just the last dozen or so nails in the coffin. Xbox wanted it for gamepass, a broken model (at least the day 1 aspect of it), which even Sony said was unsustainable. To get it they needed in excess of $70bn from their parent company, Microsoft, and in return have had various requirements forced upon them - including ridiculous profit margin requirements, and the effective loss of their own exclusives.
All Sony had to do was offer a decent alternative.

I also think Sony will come to see PC and maybe even Nintendo as much more important rivals in the coming years.

However, Sony has to be careful as to how this Japan only console looks - they have a vast English speaking userbase - why can't they do a cheaper, English locked Console, if this is possible for Japan? They have singled out effectively 1 language / region for 'special treatment', which is not a good look.

@Rich33 Sony have done it "because they can".

They have a monopoly in the UK and the Switch isn't as direct a competitor.

In terms of monopoly/competition law, how they got the monopoly is irrelevant.

If they have a monopoly and rip off UK consumers, they can't as part of their defence use "lol Xbox sucked, not our problem" as mitigation.

That's not how it works. They've also shot themselves in the foot as they previously made a case (in their submissions for the UK authority investigation into the Activision deal) for why a single party having a monopoly would be bad for consumers!

The portable PS6 will be the true competitor to the Switch line

@Dogbreath
I'm not saying things won't change for the worse with Xbox in the state that its in, but I don't see Sony as being particularly anti consumer at the moment, when taken as a whole. I have already said I don't see this Japan only special treatment as being a good look, but they are far from being a particularly anti consumer monopoly.

I also don't think they shot themselves in the foot - Sony can't be held accountable (or claim responsibility) for how Xbox have spectacularly self destructed.

@Rich33 mate they've literally just done something heinously anti-consumer and flying in the face of globalisation, by purposefully and unnecessarily region locking a product, for the specific purpose of forcing consumers in the UK to pay an excessive price.

That's as sinister as it gets.

What about the console being language locked makes it cheaper? Or does the article mean it’s comprised of cheaper components? It’s a little ambiguous.

@Gedrick it's not. Sony is taking a loss due to the weak yen but they are regional pricing and subsiding it.

It went down from 72,00 yen(which feels like 720$ for jp customers) to 55,000 yen ( 550$ to jp customers)

@bossuche9 thanks for the clarification.