Rumor has it that Sony will launch a Japanese lock-in version of the PS5, priced at only $330

Recently leaked news suggests that Sony is about to release a brand new PS5 console at a price much lower than the current retail price. However, it is reported that this lower priced PS5 has regional restrictions and cannot be used in the United States.

This revelation first appeared on major hardware forums in early November. Rumors suggest that PlayStation will release a new PS5 exclusively for sale in Japan. A user on the InstallBase forum wrote: ‘I heard that Sony may launch a Japanese lock-in version of the PS5 digital console priced at 50000 yen on November 21st.’. ”

Strangely, SIE announced last night that it will hold a State of Play Japan special live event on November 12th, focusing on Japanese and Asian games. The announcement also mentioned “some other surprises” at the end. If the rumors are true, then this means that the price of PS5 in Japan will be significantly reduced.

Is there a significant price reduction for the Japanese PS5?

According to reports, the new PS5 will be priced at 50000 yen. Converted to US dollars, it is approximately 330 US dollars. By comparison, the current retail price of the PS5 digital version console in North America is $499.

The reactions of overseas players to this revelation are mixed. Some PlayStation fans criticized Sony for offering consoles that are $150 cheaper to the Asian market. However, hardware enthusiasts point out that the significant price reduction in Japan is likely due to Nintendo’s sales far exceeding those of the PS5. By contrast, the majority of PS5 sales come from North America and Europe.

A Reddit user said, ‘The problem is that PS5 has good sales in all regions except Japan.’. Even though Switch 2 is released in Japan, the sales of PS5 are still not as good as Switch 1. ”

Another user commented, ‘Oh, they should have done this a few years ago. But now it feels a bit late. I hope they can launch a similar product in Japan on the day the PS5 handheld is released.’. ”

However, some players are skeptical about this move: ‘This simply cannot prevent PlayStation from being killed by Nintendo in Japan;’; It’s like delaying their death. ”As for why the new PS5 console is locked, it is to prevent players outside of Japan from purchasing.