A couple of months ago, the PS5 Pro’s $700 price tag caused a bit of an uproar in the PlayStation community. Turns out there’s already a bigger impending price hike for the PS5. This depends on whether Donald Trump pushes through with his proposed tariff on imports from China. A recent study suggests that Trump’s proposed tariffs might just increase the PS5’s price to a whopping $1,000. Other gaming consoles are not safe as well.
The study came from the CTA (Consumer Technology Association) back in October 2024. They looked into the 10-20 percent tariff on imports from countries outside the US and the additional 60 percent tariff on all imports from China. These imports include “smartphones, laptops and tablets, connected devices, video game consoles, and computer accessories.”
CTA further suggests that these tariffs will then cause a price increase. Distributors and the other moving parts involved with the game consoles might pass the tariff costs to the consumers. Hence, the projected price hike in the US would be around 40 percent for video game consoles and nearly 50 percent for laptops.
PS5 Pro Might Cost the Same as a Gaming PC
The PS5 and other consoles are made in China and Japan. Hence, Trump’s tariffs would put the PS5 Pro‘s retail price just a few dollars shy of $1,000. Meanwhile, the regular PS5’s price will be at around $800 or more.
Sales and discounts don’t figure into that equation, of course. Other consoles will undoubtedly be affected if the tariff proposals get approved. A PS5 Pro costing the same as a mid-range gaming PC isn’t exactly appealing to the regular consumer.
It’s worth noting that the tariffs are directed at companies importing goods from China, not China itself. In fact, Gizmodo recalls Philip Daniele, CEO of AutoZone— which will also be affected by the tariffs, as adamant that “If we get tariffs, we will pass those tariff costs back to the consumer.”
Other companies will likely follow suit rather than let the tariffs affect their margins. So it will probably be the gamers who will shoulder the cost of the tariffs and ultimately pay more if they want gaming devices, according to the CTA study.
Thankfully, the tariffs are not in effect yet as Donald Trump won’t be taking office until January 2025. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the current PS5 prices in the absence of Trump’s tariffs, just in case.
