By Published Apr 4, 2026, 6:30 AM EDT James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
The video game market, regardless of whether you're a , Xbox or Nintendo fan, is in a bit of a state right now, with companies all over the world forced to raise their prices for several reasons, from continued tariffs in the United States to hardware shortages caused by greedy AI data centers.
Xbox was the first to raise the prices of its hardware last year, doing so twice in a period where console prices have historically gone down after being on the open market for a few years. Around the same time, the company also raised the cost of the admittedly compelling, Game Pass, leaving consumers everywhere considerably more out of pocket than they were before.
Sony followed suit in relatively short order, before it was also confirmed this month that once again, pushing the price of a PS5 Pro up to an astronomical $899.99. Now, there are new fears that the company won't stop there, and it's fair to say that they aren't entirely without merit.
PlayStation's Price Increases Haven't Gone Down Well
The news that across the board understandably went down pretty poorly with the community. Given that the base version of the console has now been out for over five years, players are well within their rights to expect that they'd be able to pick one up a little more cheaply than they could in 2026.
The other issue is that there's every reason to believe it won't stop there. was already hit with a price hike last year, and there are plenty out there who think another one is on the way in relatively short order, and that could be a step too far for even the most loyal of platform fans.
PS Plus Subscribers Aren't Against Cancelling Their Subscriptions
Over on Reddit, one user their prediction that another price rise could be on the way for PlayStation Plus, and it's safe to say that fans are absolutely fine with the idea of hitting Sony where it hurts the most, and canceling their subscriptions.
"I’d recommend the better approach is cancel PS Plus and any other subscription services. Vote with your wallet. That’s the only way these companies learn their greed won’t be tolerated. Just buy your games, own something and enjoy it, play it then buy the next one," one comment .
"Eh, taking a long break from Plus would also be good. Give some perspective on things. Sometimes you think you need something that doesn't really add anything to your life," another .
A third , "When that happens, it'll be the nail in the coffin of my multiplayer gaming experience on PlayStation. I'll save 5years worth of PS+ Extra, get me a PC and play MP games there and become a patient gamer on PS."
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Unfortunately, it seems like the wider problems with the market aren't going anywhere any time soon, and the reality might be that the higher prices are here to stay. That said, people have every right to abandon the subscription systems for PlayStation and Xbox if pushed too far, which could see a correction in the other direction if things become dire.
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