Sony PlayStation price increase of approximately 30%. Middle Eastern conflict may be one of the factors affecting helium supply.

Sony’s popular gaming console PlayStation will see another price increase of 100 dollars, marking the company’s second price hike for this product in less than a year.

The Japanese company cited “continued pressure on the global economic environment” as the reason, stating that starting next Thursday, the PS5 price in the U.S. market will be adjusted to 649.99 dollars. Its digital version price will also increase by 100 dollars, to 599.99 dollars; the PS5 Pro will see a price increase of 150 dollars, with a new price of 899.99 dollars.

Sony has simultaneously raised prices for related products in other regions including the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan.

The United States has imposed tariffs on all trading partners, disrupting the global trade order; and just last August, Sony raised PlayStation prices by 50 dollars. The ongoing conflict in Iran for the past four weeks has created severe bottlenecks in energy and manufacturing supply chains, further raising price pressures on electronic products and various consumer goods.

By the end of next week, Sony PlayStation’s price will have increased approximately 30% compared to the same period last year.

Sony stated in its official blog: “We understand that price adjustments will impact our user base. After careful consideration, we believe this action is necessary to ensure we can continue to provide innovative and high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide.”

Although Sony did not explicitly mention this factor, Iran’s attack on Qatar’s natural gas export facilities last week and the forced shutdown threatens the supply of helium, a critical raw material for computer chip production. According to U.S. Geological Survey data, Qatar supplies one-third of the world’s helium.

Editor in chief: Chen Yujia