In Singapore, the PS5 will now be priced at SGD 849. The Digital Edition will be SGD 764, and the PS5 Pro will be SGD 1,167. In Malaysia, the base PS5 will cost MYR 2,799, with the Digital Edition priced at MYR 2,499, and the PS5 Pro at MYR 3,999. In Thailand, the PS5 will cost THB 20,990, while its Digital Edition will cost THB 18,790, and the PS5 Pro will cost THB 30,990.

Indonesia will see the PS5’s price going up to IDR 11,399,000, and the Digital Edition will be priced at IDR 9,999,000. The Philippines will see PS5 prices go up to PHP 40,032, and Vietnam will see it cost VND 16,900,000. It is worth noting that the PS5 Pro is not available in these regions, and the Philippines and Vietnam also don’t get the Digital Edition or the PS Portal.

Speaking of the PS Portal, it will be priced at SGD 347 in Singapore, MYR 1,099 in Malaysia, TBH 8,380 in Thailand, and IDR 5,199,000 in Indonesia.

Discussing the price hike, Sony has cited “pressures in the global economic landscape”. It went on to acknowledge that the decision to raise the prices was made “after careful evaluation”, and the company considers it to be a “necessary step”.

“With continued pressures in the global economic landscape, we’ve made the decision to increase the prices of PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player globally. 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,” wrote the company in its announcement.

Taking exchange rates and local taxes into account, the new prices for the Southeast Asia region are now largely in line with the earlier price hikes that Sony had announced for the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. For comparison, as of April 2nd, the PS5 Pro costs $899.99 / £789.99 / €899.99 / ¥137,980, depending on your region.

In an interesting turn of events, PlayStation hardware enjoyed its strongest sales week in the US this year on the week of the price hike going into effect. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, there was a rush to buy consoles before the prices went up. “Unsurprisingly, US weekly unit and $ sales of PlayStation 5 hardware reached 2026 highs during the week ending April 4th, as price increases loomed,” he wrote. “US spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled when compared to the same week a year ago.”

Analysts have expressed the belief that these price hikes for the PS5 console line-up could also indicate even higher prices for Sony’s next-generation outings. Some even believe that the PS6’s price might start at a 50 percent higher price point than the PS5 generation did when it first came out in 2020.

Interestingly, this rush to buy the console also led to gaming hardware spending in the country being nearly double what it was in the same week last year. “Unsurprisingly, US weekly unit and $ sales of PlayStation 5 hardware reached 2026 highs during the week ending April 4th, as price increases loomed,” he wrote. “US spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled when compared to the same week a year ago.”

Piscatella hasn’t revealed more granular details about the hardware sold, however, such as how many of these sales were for the base PS5 when compared to the PS5 Pro. It is also unknown whether these sales figures take into account the PlayStation Portal, which, while not a console on its own, also saw price hikes alongside PS5s.

We’ve already seen how the PS5 console price hikes have affected other markets in the world. Earlier this week, a report by Famitsu revealed that only 840 units of the PS5 Pro and 558 units of the PS5 with disc drive were sold in Japan in the week ending on April 5th. Interestingly, however, the PS5 Digital Edition continued to do relatively well, selling 12,141 units in the week. In total, the PS5 hardware family sold 13,539 units in Japan in that week—a number dwarfed by the Nintendo Switch 2, which saw 59,543 sales in the same period. It is worth noting that the sales of the PS5 and PS5 Pro in Japan for that week were comparable to sales of Xbox hardware, which has historically done quite poorly in the country.

Sony announced worldwide price hikes for PlayStation hardware just last month, noting that the new prices would go into effect from April 2nd onwards. Due to this, the base PS5 now retails for $649.99/£569.99/€649.99/¥97,980, up from $549.99/£479.99/€499.99/¥79,980, depending on your region. The PS5 Digital Edition also saw a jump, going up to $599.99/£519.99/€599.99/¥89,980. Similarly, the PS Portal now costs $249.99/£219.99/€249.99/¥39,980. Hardest hit by the hikes was the PS5 Pro, which now costs $899.99/£789.99/€899.99/¥137,980, up from $749.99/£699.99/€799.99/¥119,980.

“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 Sony in a statement about the price hikes.

These price hikes have also led analysts to believe that the next-generation console, the PS6, might end up costing up to 50 percent more than the PS5. Several analysts have noted that disruptions in the global economy made these jumps in prices inevitable, and the fact that there has been a memory shortage hasn’t helped matters.

Unsurprisingly, US weekly unit and $ sales of PlayStation 5 hardware reached 2026 highs during the week ending April 4th, as price increases loomed.US spending on video game hardware for the week nearly doubled when compared to the same week a year ago.Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-04-14T12:21:16.462Z

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.