Ancient Chinese mythology has suddenly become a hot topic for the world’s gamers. A blockbuster game based on Journey to the West, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, is breaking records and delivering an unexpected sales boost to Sony’s PlayStation 5.
Sony is raising the price of its PlayStation 5 gaming console by about 19 per cent to around $550 in Japan, effective from September 2. It is also increasing prices of its accessories including its wireless controller and wireless headset. During normal times, a price rise of that size for the PS5 — given that it is nearly four years old — would not have been received well by gamers.
Typically the life cycle of a gaming console is about five years. Sales of the PS5 had started showing signs of slowing during fiscal 2023, with sales narrowly missing Sony’s target of 21mn units. This had been revised down from a previous forecast for 25mn units.