PlayStation 5 Might Become More Expensive Thanks to Trump Administration
PlayStation 5 Might Become More Expensive Thanks to Trump Administration
Many gamers across the globe are looking forward to the PlayStation 5, which is expected to arrive late next year. However, it looks like there might be some bad news for us gamers looking to adopt the gaming machine, thanks to none other than Donald Trump himself.
Sony Financial Chief Hiroki Totoki has warned that the proposed tariffs on Chinese products by the Trump Administration could force PlayStation consoles to be more expensive. While Sony is still considering their options, one of them is said to be passing the costs over to consumers.
There isn’t a firm decision yet due to the fact that it’s still uncertain on whether the new tariffs will apply or not. This is highly dependent on negotiations between the Trump Administration and China. The US raised tariffs on USD $200 billion in Chinese goods back in May 25%. A further tariff expansion would cover another USD $300 billion in products, including PlayStation systems.
This is particularly tough for Sony as they tend to sell their video game consoles at either a loss or a very slim profit margin. They recoup the money through the sale of games and services such as PS Plus. This also means that Sony may not be able to absorb tariff costs, and moving products to another country is a costly endeavour on its own.
While the expectation is that the PlayStation 5 will inevitably be more expensive if the proposed tariffs become a reality, the sales of PS4 will also be affected. This can be dangerous for the company, especially since there’s still some time away until we can see the launch of their new machine.
Source: WSJ
Pokdepinion: So basically, despite this supposedly only affecting the United States, it will inevitably affect the whole world. Understandably so given that it’s a global company after all.
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