NYU video game professor and industry researcher Joost van Dreunen believes that this is due to US policies designed to disrupt the global economy. Citing moves like imposing import tariffs, van Dreunen pointed out that indications of rising hardware costs were already becoming evident as far back as 2024.

“The relentless effort by the US administration to disrupt the global economy is backfiring exactly as expected,” said van Dreunen. “Already in 2024 did console manufacturers signal that any tariffs would have a major impact on pricing. The costs for DRAM and NAND have surged 80-90 percent since the start of 2026.”

Dr Serkan Toto, CEO of consultancy firm Kantan Games, believes that with its recent price hikes, Sony has started preparing for further pricing fluctuations in the future. He noted that this also gives the company “some leeway to lower prices and offer ‘deals’ if things surprisingly get better.” As for the next generation of console hardware, Dr Toto believes that there will be at least one PS6 SKU priced at $999. van Dreunen agrees, saying “we’re quickly moving towards a world in which a $1,000 console will be the norm, and console gaming will become a luxury expenditure.”

“They really don’t want to raise prices on their hardware, because that part is usually a heavily subsidized part of the equation, and the sale of games is the gravity point of their revenue model. I predict that the next generation of console hardware will start at a 50% higher price point than the current one did.”

Piscatella believes that Sony’s plans for the launch of the PS6, both the timing and pricing, “must be considered to be in flux,” owing to “far too much volatility and uncertainty.”

“Could we see $1k+ pricing? Sure, that’s possible,” he continued. “Would really hate to see that, but it’s possible. Could it be 2027? Maybe. Could it be 2028? Sure. Later? Why not. I do not think that current market conditions allow for much certainty at all in the hardware market. Hopefully, the conditions improve. They could get worse. Who knows?”

Sony’s recent price hikes will affect markets worldwide from April 2nd, as the base PS5’s price goes up by $100, while the PS5 Pro is going up by $150. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Portal cost is rising by $50.

The announcement led to Ampere Analysis’ Piers Harding-Rolls stating that Sony’s move might be followed by Microsoft and Nintendo for their own current-gen consoles—the Xbox Series X/S and the Switch 2. “With no sign of prices easing largely due to demand for AI infrastructure, Sony will have made the move to protect its slim hardware margins,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if Microsoft and Nintendo followed suit in the not-too-distant future.”

The PS5 Digital Edition will cost $599.99/£519.99/€599.99/¥89,980, while the PlayStation Portal is slated to cost $249.99/£219.99/€249.99/¥39,980 (which thankfully isn’t the biggest jump). However, those looking to purchase the PS5 Pro may want to wait for the PlayStation 6 at this rate. Currently retailing for $749.99 in the United States, it will cost a whopping $899.99 after next week.

That translates to £789.99 (up from £699.99) in the UK, €899.99 (up from €799.99) in Europe and ¥137,980 (an increase from ¥119,980) in Japan.

“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” said the publisher. At least it hasn’t begun pricing physical and digital editions of a game differently, like Nintendo (unlike Blu-ray disc manufacturing, which suddenly skyrockets in the coming months).

Of course, this is far from the first price increase for any of these regions. The base PS5 saw prices jump in 2022 for Europe, Canada, Japan, and other regions due to “high global inflation rates.” Japan saw a second price increase in August 2024, while last year, the United States experienced its first major price increase, with the PS5 costing $549.99 (from $499.99) and the PS5 Pro costing $749.99 (up from $699.99).

The 1080p High Quality mode will be available to use during both Remote Play as well as Cloud Streaming. When enabled, players will experience gameplay at higher a bitrate, which in turn will lead to smoother frame rates and better visual fidelity. To enable this, users can go into the Max Resolution setting through Quick Menu, 1080p High Quality will be available as a new option. However, the Remote Play or Cloud Streaming session will have to be restarted for the changes to apply.

As for the UX upgrades, the changes are visible throughout the Cloud Streaming experience as well as the onboarding experience for users that don’t yet have a PlayStation account. Among the Cloud Streaming improvements are better product detail pages, clear on-screen notification for game invites, clearer notifications when the player earns Trophies, and an improved search screen. As for the onboarding experience, the PlayStation Portal will offer its users a new QR code-styled login option, as well as a generally improved interface that flows more smoothly from menu to menu.

Along with this, PlayStation’s senior manager of product management Takuro Fushimi has also revealed that, since the release of Cloud Streaming on the PlayStation Portal back in November, use of the feature has grown by 162 percent year-over-year as of this January.

“Since our last update in November, we’ve seen strong momentum on PS Portal. Cloud Streaming monthly users grew by 162% year-over-year in January, and over 50% of PS Portal users are now PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers – reflecting growing engagement with the cloud experience,” he wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

“As more players discover new ways to play on PS Portal, we remain committed to continuously refining performance and usability. Today, we’re pleased to share some new features and refinements for our PS Portal users.”

Cloud Streaming was first introduced as a beta back in November 2024, which saw slow and steady improvements over time. An update in April 2025 saw enhancements made to the feature, as well as the addition of new options, like sorting options, and compatibility with the Share button, allowing players easy access to screenshotting and video recording tools on the handheld device. These captures are automatically uploaded to the cloud, where they are stored for 14 days, and can be accessed and downloaded by players through the PlayStation App.

Rumors from January have indicated that Sony might be looking to release a refreshed version of the PlayStation Portal. While it won’t see any major hardware revisions, the refresh is noted to be headlined by an OLED display. Sony hasn’t yet made any announcement regarding a new PlayStation Portal. The report has noted, however, that it is planned for launch later this year. The same month also saw another report revealing that two million units of the PlayStation Portal had been sold in the US.

While not much is expected to change about this refreshed PS Portal – it will still ultimately be used for streaming games off a local PS5, after all – the newer release may feature an OLED display. This would be a considerable upgrade over the current Portal, which has an LCD screen. It is also unknown whether it will receive a resolution or a refresh rate bump.

Since its launch in November 2023, the PlayStation Portal has proven to be an unlikely success despite the handheld only being capable of playing games through streaming. Since then, however, Sony has continued to release updates, including one in November which finally allowed it to cloud stream games without needing a PS5 running on the local network.

The update also brought other features, including 3D Audio support for use with compatible PlayStation Link audio devices. You can also browse the PlayStation Store and buy games directly from it.

Updates like these have gone a long way in making PS Portal the best device for PlayStation’s Remote Play features. Back in November, senior manager of product management Takuro Fushimi revealed that it was being used even more than the PS5 itself.

“Before we launched the Portal, some questioned whether there would be demand for it, as it is such a unique product, being a dedicated Remote Play device to start with. However, we’ve seen the community’s response has been overwhelming,” he said.

“Our data shows that PlayStation Portal users are more engaged than non-users. [The] PlayStation Portal has now become the most widely used device for PlayStation 5 Remote Play, surpassing mobile PC, PS5, and PS4.”

It is worth noting, however, that the PS Portal was never seen as a standalone device. Rather, it’s for those who already own a PS5. Even Fushimi said as much, noting that it is “a complementary device to the console and not a standalone yet”. This could change in the future, depending on the adoption of PS5 game streaming over the cloud.

“Now, with this new update, our goal is to provide more options for PS5 players to enjoy their games, attract more PS5 users to PlayStation Portal and PlayStation Plus, and to drive PS5 user engagement even further,” he said.

As for sales, the Portal reportedly had a seven percent attach rate with US-based PS5 users, according to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella. The console itself has sold 27 million units in the country. This is a continuation of its success after becoming the best-selling gaming accessory in the US in 2024.

If that wasn’t enough, the PlayStation Portal, Sony’s surprise success story, has achieved a seven percent attach rate to PS5 hardware to date. The console has sold 27 million units in the United States thus far, which would put the Portal at roughly two million sales. Remember that this doesn’t even account for its sales in the rest of the world.

As surprising as the device’s success may seem, it’s actually par for the course since it topped US accessory sales in 2024. This follows Hiromi Wakai, PlayStation vice president of product management, stating early in the year that demand had exceeded the company’s expectations.

It’s probably unsurprising then that Sony is reportedly working on a handheld SDK for the PlayStation 6, which can run PS5 titles courtesy of Power Saver Mode support. The company hasn’t confirmed this, nor has it indicated when the next console generation will begin, but for the time being, the Portal continues to impress.

However, even in terms of Remote Play, the device has come a long way since 2023. Before PS5 game streaming officially went live, senior manager of product management, Takuro Fushimi, revealed that the Portal has topped usage among other PlayStation devices. Yes, even the PS5.

“Before we launched the Portal, some questioned whether there would be demand for it, as it is such a unique product, being a dedicated Remote Play device to start with. However, we’ve seen the community’s response has been overwhelming,” he told Tech Radar Gaming.

“Our data shows that PlayStation portal users are more engaged than non-users. [The] PlayStation portal has now become the most widely used device for PlayStation 5 Remote Play, surpassing mobile PC, PS5, and PS4.”

Fushimi maintained that it’s a “complementary device to the console and not a standalone yet” with the average gameplay session lasting around two hours. However, with the release of PS5 game streaming, that could change.

“Now, with this new update, our goal is to provide more options for PS5 players to enjoy their games, attract more PS5 users to PlayStation Portal and PlayStation Plus, and to drive PS5 user engagement even further.”

Time will tell how well it works, but other features – purchasing content from the PlayStation Store and accepting multiplayer invites – are a game-changer. One has to wonder if perhaps Sony is looking at its success for the inevitable PS6, which is rumored to have a handheld version.

Ever wanted to experience PS5 titles on the Portal while the console is off? How about on the go or while someone else is using it? Of course, that’s not all, as Sony has added features like Passcode Lock, 3D Audio support with the Pulse headsets (or any compatible PlayStation Link audio devices), and the ability to browse and purchase items from the PlayStation Store.

You can also receive game invites and partake in multiplayer content. For those having trouble with readability, a screen reader and an option to adjust text size are included in the Accessibility Settings.

With Xbox pushing its cloud streaming service harder than ever, including a new free, ad-supported tier in the works, Sony is pretty timely with the Portal cloud streaming. Whether it will take off in a big way remains to be seen, but it could be another step towards the ecosystem of the alleged PS6 handheld.

The speakers feature planar magnetic drivers that can output sound from across the entire audible spectrum, and when hooked up to a PS5, can even make use of Tempest 3D AudioTech. It is generally compatible with PC, PS5, Mac, and PlayStation Portal. The speakers also include built-in woofers for bass tones.

The microphone in the speakers have been designed with AI-enhanced noise rejection to offer players high-quality voice chat. They connect to a system through PlayStation Link technology that offers lossless connectivity. The speakers are also compatible with Bluetooth, in case players want to use separate devices for games and voice chat or music, for example.

While the Pulse Elevate speakers have been designed for desktop use, they also include built-in rechargeable batteries that can allow for portable gaming by connecting to any device through PlayStation Link or even Bluetooth. The speakers will also include charging docks.

For ease of use, the Pulse Elevate have built-in volume controls, as well as possible adjustments with horizontal and vertical orientations depending on a player’s preferences. The speakers are slated for release in 2026, and will be available in two colours: black and white.

One of the bigger new features is the ability for players to sort the games in their Cloud Streaming catalogue screen. Among the sorting methods available are “Recently Added to PS Plus”, Release Date, and Alphabetical. The update will now also allow PlayStation Portal users to capture gameplay during a Cloud Streaming session.

Much like the PS5, the gameplay capture options on the PlayStation Portal make use of the device’s Share button. Pressing it once opens up the create menu. Pressing and holding takes a screenshot, while pressing it twice starts or finishes recording a video clip. Any screenshots and videos captured through this will automatically be uploaded to the cloud server, which can then be accessed through the PlayStation App. Captures are stored for 14 days.

If PlayStation’s cloud streaming servers are full, the PlayStation Portal now allows players to join a waiting list. This also lets the player know what the estimated waiting time will be, and the waiting list will automatically start the game when it becomes available.

Cloud Streaming users can now also pause their game during a session. This is done by opening up the PS Portal quick menu by hitting the PS button. A game can also be suspended by putting the PS Portal into rest mode. However, a streaming session will be disconnected if the PS Portal is in rest mode for more than 15 seconds with a game suspended. In order to further help players manage their time during Cloud Streaming, the PS Portal will also display a notification in case the player has been inactive in the game for long enough that the session is close to being ended automatically.

Ultimately, there is also a new feedback screen where PS Portal users trying out the Cloud Streaming beta can submit their feedback for Sony.

“Thanks to the support and feedback from our player as we continue to add new features to further enhance the PS Portal experience, including support for select public Wi-Fi networks, which we launched last year,” wrote Sony Interactive Entertainment’s VP of Product Management Shuzo Kikuchi on the PlayStation Blog. “We hope you enjoy the new beta features – your feedback is essential for us to evolve the streaming game experience even further, and we look forward to hearing what you think!”

The PlayStation Portal kicked off its Cloud Streaming Beta back in November 2024. The beta, available specifically to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, features a library of more than 120 PS5 games from across the PlayStation Plus catalogue. This includes major releases like Monster Hunter Rise, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Ghost of Tsushima.

The device is currently capable of streaming games at up to 1080p and 60 frames per seconds. It is also capable of making use of all DualSense features of the PlayStation Portal even when streaming games.

The new Midnight Black Collection peripherals are meant to complement previously released peripherals – the DualSense and PS5 console covers – with the same colour scheme.

While it largely revolves around a shade of black, there is also some detailing on various parts of the peripherals. This includes various buttons and accents like the PlayStation logo. In keeping with this, the charging case for the Pulse Explore earbuds also sport the same colours with similar accent detailing.

The new Midnight Black Collection peripherals are slated to hit stores on February 20, with pre-orders kicking off on January 16 through PlayStation’s own website. The PlayStation Portal is priced at $199.99, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are priced at $199.99, the Pulse Elite wireless headset is $149.99, and the DualSense Edge controller costs $199.99.