PS5 price hike in Japan led to more Xbox Series X sales

Xbox Series X sales in Japan have seen a significant increase, occurring shortly after Sony Interactive Entertainment announced a price increase for its PS5 in the country. Even though the price change will only happen next week, it was enough to make the public run for the competition.

According to Automaton, the Yodobashi store – one of the largest in the entire Japanese territory – saw the Microsoft console reach the number 8 position among the best-selling products of the day. An impressive result if you consider that yesterday (28) it was not even among the 100 best-selling products.

However, it’s not just the $100 difference that has turned Japanese consumers away from the PS5 and toward the Xbox Series X. The console has also seen a recent drop in stock, making it harder to get your hands on one – possibly a strategy to increase hardware prices in future shipments.

It is notable that Microsoft has always had difficulty popularizing its consoles within the country, since both Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo have always had a lot of strength among fans and there is also appreciation for content produced in the territory.

With the PS5’s rising prices and low availability, this has become the opportunity the corporation has been waiting for to make the Xbox Series X and Series S shine in Japan. Considering that we are on the eve of the launch of the new models – which include a version with a 2TB SSD – this could help sales even more.

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While the low availability of the PS5 in Japan can be attributed to the price increase, it’s also important to note that the latest rumors suggest the manufacturer is preparing a PlayStation 5 Pro.

The new hardware was one of the most debated topics at gamescom 2024, even without having been officially announced – however, confirmed by many developers who were there and who had access to the dev kit.

The latest rumors suggest that the PS5 Pro will even have a 2TB SSD, just like the new version of the Xbox Series X – which will possibly generate more friction in sales between the two brands.

Fonte: WCCFTECH