{"id":16260,"date":"2025-11-14T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T10:00:00","slug":"heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/","title":{"rendered":"#Here&#8217;s Why Sony Is Making a Japan-Specific PS5 Console"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/#Heres_Why_Sony_Is_Making_a_Japan-Specific_PS5_Console\" >Here&#8217;s Why Sony Is Making a Japan-Specific PS5 Console<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/#Related_Articles\" >Related Articles<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/#News_Sony_to_Stimulate_Japanese_PS5_Sales_with_Cheaper_Language_Locked_Model\" >News Sony to Stimulate Japanese PS5 Sales with Cheaper, Language Locked Model<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/#News_PS5_Creeps_Past_7_Million_Sales_in_Japan\" >News PS5 Creeps Past 7 Million Sales in Japan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\/#Related_Articles-2\" >Related Articles<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_Why_Sony_Is_Making_a_Japan-Specific_PS5_Console\"><\/span>Here&#8217;s Why Sony Is Making a Japan-Specific PS5 Console<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"body body-text article-text\">\n<section class=\"text\">\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"59d2551777bd7\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"scanlines\" title=\"PS5 Japan Push Square\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/59d2551777bd7\/ps5-japan-push-square.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/59d2551777bd7\/ps5-japan-push-square.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" alt=\"PS5 Japan Push Square\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The headline announcement out of this week&#8217;s State of Play Japan livestream was a new PS5 console that&#8217;s specific to the country.<\/p>\n<p>It only operates in the Japanese language, and it only works with Japanese PSN accounts. By doing this, Sony is able to offer the system at a vastly reduced price of \u00a555,000 ($350), which represents a roughly $120 price drop compared to the current digital model. This is something Nintendo also offered to Japan upon the release of the Switch 2 earlier this year, a console flying off the shelves in the region.<\/p>\n<div class=\"for-mobile insert insert-label\">\n<div id=\"inject-primis-player\" data-src-primis=\"https:\/\/live.primis.tech\/live\/liveView.php?s=117168&amp;vp_content=plembed39b4tigwxqjz&amp;cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&amp;playerApiId=primis_player_float&amp;schain=1.0,1!ziffdavis.com,22392450815,1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>PS5 sales haven&#8217;t been the best in Japan for some time now, so Sony is looking to adopt the approach that Nintendo has with a cheaper, region-specific console. In the latest Japanese hardware sales results, we can see how popular Switch 2 is proving, as it continually outsells PS5 and is making rapid progress towards overtaking its lifetime sales after less than six months on the market.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:pushsquare.com\/ssl\/ps5\/related-articles:193744,187738 @ 1763114343 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\">\n<header class=\"widget-header\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles\"><\/span>Related Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<div class=\"object-related-list\">\n<article class=\"object-related-article\">\n<p class=\"object-related-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/02545700d0241\/150x90.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"90\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sony to Stimulate Japanese PS5 Sales with Cheaper, Language Locked Model\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"object-related-info\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"News_Sony_to_Stimulate_Japanese_PS5_Sales_with_Cheaper_Language_Locked_Model\"><\/span><span class=\"category accent\">News<\/span> <span class=\"title\">Sony to Stimulate Japanese PS5 Sales with Cheaper, Language Locked Model<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"tagline\">A massive price cut<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"object-related-article\">\n<p class=\"object-related-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/d32dd8262b474\/150x90.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"90\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"PS5 Creeps Past 7 Million Sales in Japan\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"object-related-info\">\n<h3 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"News_PS5_Creeps_Past_7_Million_Sales_in_Japan\"><\/span><span class=\"category accent\">News<\/span> <span class=\"title\">PS5 Creeps Past 7 Million Sales in Japan<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"tagline\">Lucky number 7<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<p>Focusing entirely on the Switch 2 and the three PS5 models, lifetime Japanese sales for the two boxes look like this, as of 9th November 2025:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Base PS5 (w\/ disc drive) \u2014 5.8 million sales<\/li>\n<li>Nintendo Switch 2 \u2014 2.6 million sales<\/li>\n<li>Base PS5 Digital \u2014 1 million sales<\/li>\n<li>PS5 Pro \u2014 266,000 sales<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"insert-label centered insert lazyload for-mobile insert-extended lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_A691708E362EFD\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250,300x600\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-mobile-2\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"Lazy_Load_HP_MPU\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In total, all versions of the PS5 have collectively sold around seven million units. Compare this to the 2.6 million sales of the Switch 2, which have taken place inside just six months, and it&#8217;s easy to see why Sony would want to claw back a bit of market share. Of course, the Switch 2 offers a different kind of experience as both a home and handheld console, but the cheaper, Japanese-specific model can only have helped shift units.<\/p>\n<p>Sony will be hoping this new PS5 model for Japan will help its sales in the region, as the console turns five years old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text source\">[source <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"external\" title=\"External Link: https:\/\/www.gematsu.com\/2025\/11\/famitsu-sales-11-3-25-11-9-25\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gematsu.com\/2025\/11\/famitsu-sales-11-3-25-11-9-25\">gematsu.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:pushsquare.com\/ssl\/ps5\/related-info\/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e @ 1763115407 --><\/div>\n<section class=\"footer\">\n<ul class=\"share-this \">\n<li class=\" first\">Share:<\/li>\n<li class=\"value\"><span class=\"accent-bg share-count\">0<\/span><span class=\"icon icon-caret-right accent\"><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page whatsapp accent\" title=\"Share this on WhatsApp\" data-service=\"whatsapp\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-whatsapp\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page bsky accent\" title=\"Share this on Bluesky\" data-service=\"bsky\" data-username=\"pushsquare.com\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-bsky\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page facebook accent\" title=\"Share this on Facebook\" data-service=\"facebook\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-facebook\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page twitter accent\" title=\"Share this on Twitter\" data-service=\"twitter\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-twitter\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page threads accent\" title=\"Share this on Threads\" data-service=\"threads\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-threads\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page messenger accent for-mobile\" title=\"Share this on Facebook Messenger\" data-service=\"fbmessenger\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-messenger\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-share-page reddit accent for-desktop\" title=\"Share this on Reddit\" data-service=\"reddit\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-reddit\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"article-stats\" data-article-id=\"193900\" data-comments=\"22\" data-shares=\"0\" data-likes=\"1\">\n<li class=\" first\">1<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ui-comments accent icon icon-comments\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comments\">22<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"insert soft-bg below-article for-mobile insert-extended lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_J691708E3630AA\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250,300x600\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-below\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"Lazy_Load_HP_MPU\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"insert centered article-billboard for-desktop for-desktop lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_E691708E3630BF\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/desktop_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-billboard\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"LAZY_DESKTOP\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-content\">\n<div class=\"author-info\">\n<section class=\"block author\">\n<header class=\"widget-header\">\n<p>About <span class=\"accent\">Liam Croft<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/153014\/avatar.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Liam Croft\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<p>Liam grew up with a PlayStation controller in his hands and a love for Metal Gear Solid. Nowadays, he&#8217;s found playing the latest and greatest PS5 games as well as supporting Derby County. That last detail is his downfall.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\" first\"><span class=\"icon icon-profile\"><\/span> Author Profile<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"return replyTo('LiamCroft');\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"icon icon-comments\"><\/span> Reply<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"insert with-label centered block lazyload for-desktop lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_Y691708E363187\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/desktop_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-foot-after-author\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"LAZY_DESKTOP\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comments-list\">\n<section id=\"comments\" class=\"block comments\">\n<header class=\"widget-header\">\n<p>Comments <span class=\"counter comment-count\">22<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<div class=\"comments hidden-comments\" data-subject=\"dgp:news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\">\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906962\" data-author=\"users\/141493\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906962\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906962\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.pushsquare.com\/themes\/base\/images\/avatar.svg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"StrickenBiged\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906962\">1<\/a><\/li>\n<li>StrickenBiged<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:02:39+00:00\">45 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>How does locking the language and region lead to such a dramatic price cut? My layman&#8217;s guess would be that this is just a software issue, and that it would be cheaper to just have one operating system for the PS5, with all supported languages available, rather than have to maintain separate operating systems for multiple regions.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906963\" data-author=\"users\/332393\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906963\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906963\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/332393\/avatar.jpg?v=1762381913\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"OldGamer999\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906963\">2<\/a><\/li>\n<li>OldGamer999<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:03:55+00:00\">44 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>Ok sounds good, so why can\u2019t we do this in all regions and bring the cost down around the world?<\/p>\n<p>Additional no components have changed so it goes to show how much us gamers are getting mugged off price wise.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906973\" data-author=\"users\/342504\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906973\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906973\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/342504\/avatar.jpg?v=1754751792\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Oram77\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906973\">3<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Oram77<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:13:08+00:00\">34 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@OldGamer999 The ironic thing is, you having Switch 2 as your profile pic, I&#8217;m sure you are aware Nintendo also did a regeion locked SW2 for Japanese customers too? Look I know you are very pro consumer (which is great) but unfortunately that just isn&#8217;t how the world works, it should but it doesn&#8217;t .<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906977\" data-author=\"users\/276878\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906977\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906977\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/276878\/avatar.jpg?v=1755816751\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UltimateOtaku91\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906977\">4<\/a><\/li>\n<li>UltimateOtaku91<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:14:15+00:00\">33 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@Oram77 oh he knows&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906984\" data-author=\"users\/308149\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906984\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906984\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/308149\/avatar.jpg?v=1649314853\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"REALAIS\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906984\">5<\/a><\/li>\n<li>REALAIS<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:22:53+00:00\">25 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@StrickenBiged so other regions doesnt buy it out on bulk and make proffit when reselling around the world. It is to deter people by software locking it. In general, it is long term &#8220;sale&#8221; in Japan to boost PS5 playerbase<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906985\" data-author=\"users\/356843\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906985\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906985\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/356843\/avatar.jpg?v=1761467210\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"TrollOfWar\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906985\">6<\/a><\/li>\n<li>TrollOfWar<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:23:10+00:00\">24 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@StrickenBiged Sony\/PlayStation doesn&#8217;t save any costs by &#8220;region locking&#8221; the PS5 to Japan. They might be losing money on this. But the business strategy is to get more people to buy their console in Japan, by losing some money. It might help them also improve the PlayStation brand with developers if the Japanese userbase is bigger.<\/p>\n<p>What they want to avoid though is those cheaper consoles being sold outside of Japan. That&#8217;s what the &#8220;region lock&#8221; is for. I guess it&#8217;s not a true region lock in a traditional sense where only games from that region would work on the console.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906986\" data-author=\"users\/355476\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906986\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906986\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/355476\/avatar.jpg?v=1749628512\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Medic_alert\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906986\">7<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Medic_alert<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:23:18+00:00\">24 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@StrickenBiged it is supposedly to stop being buying cheap units from Japan due to the weak Yen and selling them abroad while also remaining competitive in the Japanese market.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906989\" data-author=\"users\/12846\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906989\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906989\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/12846\/avatar.jpg?v=1260290558\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"belmont\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906989\">8<\/a><\/li>\n<li>belmont<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:24:39+00:00\">23 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>Fells like we are back in the 90&#8217;s where USA games didn&#8217;t work without modifications in my PAL PlayStation.<\/p>\n<p>So, if in my region PS5 sales drop they will surely make a PS5 that only works with say Italian, Greek or Turkish accounts, right?<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906991\" data-author=\"users\/339587\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906991\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906991\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.pushsquare.com\/themes\/base\/images\/avatar.svg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rich33\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906991\">9<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Rich33<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:27:16+00:00\">20 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>I&#8217;m sorry, I have to agree with the sentiment that this is not a good look.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, I understand that this is a good thing to boost sales in Japan, and that Nintendo has done similar. I also understand that cheap consoles bought in Japan could be sold worldwide, though doesn&#8217;t the PS5&#8217;s price vary across different markets anyway once currency is converted?<\/p>\n<p>But, I can&#8217;t see how a unique region locked SKU is going to be much cheaper to manufacture, so they are doing this via subsidising.<br \/>If it were cheaper to make, why aren&#8217;t they doing a cheaper English only variant for UK\/US.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906992\" data-author=\"users\/355660\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906992\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906992\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/355660\/avatar.jpg?v=1750917892\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"SeaDaVie\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906992\">10<\/a><\/li>\n<li>SeaDaVie<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:27:30+00:00\">20 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@StrickenBiged It&#8217;s because it&#8217;s a subsidised console meant only for the japanese(Japanese Exceptionalism?).<\/p>\n<p>Previously they just made the Japanese consoles cheaper than other regions, but then people in mainland Asia just bought Japanese consoles and imported them. A lot of PS5&#8217;s and very likely a huge number of Switch&#8217;s sold in Japan actually got exported to places like China.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906993\" data-author=\"users\/158814\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906993\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906993\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/158814\/avatar.jpg?v=1637172954\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Bahamut_GR\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906993\">11<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bahamut_GR<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:28:03+00:00\">20 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>A cheap region-locked model basically means they\u2019re selling it at a loss (or with a very small profit). The idea is to sell more hardware and make up the profit from game sales. Japan is an important market, after all. I suppose it makes even more sense for Nintendo, since they produce many first-party games that sell extremely well.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906994\" data-author=\"users\/253229\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906994\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906994\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/253229\/avatar.jpg?v=1686047715\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"djlard\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906994\">12<\/a><\/li>\n<li>djlard<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:28:22+00:00\">19 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>Hey Sony, release English only console in europe for discount too. I also don&#8217;t want to pay for other languages I even don&#8217;t understand.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906995\" data-author=\"users\/339587\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906995\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906995\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.pushsquare.com\/themes\/base\/images\/avatar.svg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rich33\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906995\">13<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Rich33<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:32:48+00:00\">15 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@belmont <br \/>Just going off memory, at least part of that was due to the way in which UK TV&#8217;s worked differently.<br \/>PAL worked on 50hz<br \/>NTSC worked on 60hz<br \/>I believe some TVs supported both.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906996\" data-author=\"users\/342504\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906996\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906996\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/342504\/avatar.jpg?v=1754751792\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Oram77\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906996\">14<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Oram77<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:32:50+00:00\">15 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@Rich33 I suppose piggy backing off what others have said, a English only version would be extremely easy to export, and if region locked console are sold at a loss, it would be magnified with this version by like 10x.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8906999\" data-author=\"users\/355660\" data-subject=\"comments\/8906999\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8906999\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/355660\/avatar.jpg?v=1750917892\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"SeaDaVie\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8906999\">15<\/a><\/li>\n<li>SeaDaVie<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:34:16+00:00\">13 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>The biggest issue I have with this is that there are plenty of third world countries in the world, and none of them get special subsidised consoles. A lot of the time they don&#8217;t even get proper regional pricing in software, and that&#8217; can be discounted without incurring a loss.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907000\" data-author=\"users\/332393\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907000\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907000\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/332393\/avatar.jpg?v=1762381913\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"OldGamer999\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907000\">16<\/a><\/li>\n<li>OldGamer999<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:35:02+00:00\">13 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@Oram77 <br \/>Yep I know Nintendo did it as well. <br \/>Yes around the world and not just consoles the pro-consumer era has disappeared. <br \/>That\u2019s why I always try to stuck up for us the customer. <br \/>The bigger problem console world is owned by so few so they can control the market and prices more. <br \/>It\u2019s not like cars or washing machines, where there is much more competition and the South Koreans etc joined in many years ago.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907002\" data-author=\"users\/332393\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907002\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907002\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/332393\/avatar.jpg?v=1762381913\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"OldGamer999\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907002\">17<\/a><\/li>\n<li>OldGamer999<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:37:13+00:00\">10 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@Rich33 <br \/>Most modern TVS support 60hz. <br \/>Even in my NeoGEO days I could get 60hz TVs in the UK, but limited to a few models.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907003\" data-author=\"users\/356843\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907003\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907003\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/356843\/avatar.jpg?v=1761467210\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"TrollOfWar\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907003\">18<\/a><\/li>\n<li>TrollOfWar<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:37:24+00:00\">10 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@Rich33<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But, I can&#8217;t see how a unique region locked SKU is going to be much cheaper to manufacture, so they are doing this via subsidising.<br \/>\nIf it were cheaper to make, why aren&#8217;t they doing a cheaper English only variant for UK\/US.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It&#8217;s being subsidized in Japan. They aren&#8217;t cheaper to make (probably it adds costs as they now need to manufacture an additional SKU and test the devices).<\/p>\n<p>Call it a &#8220;strategic investment&#8221;, Sony invest money to get the Japanese playerbase to grow and hopefully they get a return of the investment via sold games, subscriptions from the players and increased support from Japanese developers.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not much different from the case where Sony raised the prices of the PS5 in Europe and Asia due to the US tariffs, but kept the price the same in the US.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907005\" data-author=\"users\/356843\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907005\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907005\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/356843\/avatar.jpg?v=1761467210\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"TrollOfWar\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907005\">19<\/a><\/li>\n<li>TrollOfWar<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:41:46+00:00\">6 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@SeaDaVie<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The biggest issue I have with this is that there are plenty of third world countries in the world, and none of them get special subsidised consoles. A lot of the time they don&#8217;t even get proper regional pricing in software, and that&#8217; can be discounted without incurring a loss.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I guess it&#8217;s because most of the players in those &#8220;third world&#8221; countries cannot afford the expensive games and definitely won&#8217;t subscribe to PS Plus. So in that case Sony wouldn&#8217;t make their money back on the subsidized consoles if the playerbase only bought 1-2 games and are mostly playing free-to-play games like Fortnite and COD Warzone.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907007\" data-author=\"users\/339587\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907007\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907007\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.pushsquare.com\/themes\/base\/images\/avatar.svg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rich33\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907007\">20<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Rich33<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:42:24+00:00\">5 mins ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@Oram77 <br \/>I agree &#8211; I just think this dispels any notion that they are locking to Japanese for any form of cost saving, so its all coming from subsidisation.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907010\" data-author=\"users\/359074\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907010\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907010\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/359074\/avatar.jpg?v=1758046369\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Dogbreath\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907010\">21<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dogbreath<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:46:53+00:00\">1 min ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>Allow me to explain in simple terms.<\/p>\n<p>Sony sell in multiple markets where they face different competitive conditions.<\/p>\n<p>In Japan where consumer tastes are different to the West, consoles like the Switch provide more direct stiff competition.<\/p>\n<p>In the West, consoles like Switch sell well but it&#8217;s not a direct competitor to PlayStation, and Sony have a virtual monopoly in the AAA home console market. Xbox was the competition in the West but they are dead.<\/p>\n<p>Region locking allows Sony to compete aggressively on price in Japan, whilst still being able to charge a premium price and have a larger profit margin in the West.<\/p>\n<p>Simple as that. Anything else anyone says is plain wrong I&#8217;m afraid.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"comment\" id=\"comment8907012\" data-author=\"users\/355660\" data-subject=\"comments\/8907012\" data-dislikes=\"0\" data-id=\"8907012\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"framed lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/users\/355660\/avatar.jpg?v=1750917892\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"SeaDaVie\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"detail\">\n<ul class=\"info\">\n<li class=\" first\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"num\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comment8907012\">22<\/a><\/li>\n<li>SeaDaVie<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><time data-days=\"5\" class=\"date age \" datetime=\"2025-11-14T10:46:56+00:00\">1 min ago<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"text\">\n<p>@TrollOfWar So the subsidised consoles should be sold in the USA and Western Europe, right? Those are the territories that buy the most high margin items. Japan is famous for everyone using the PS5&#8217;s to play F2P games like Genshin Impact and Apex Legends.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<ul class=\"ui-comment-tools\">\n<li class=\"likes first last\">0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p class=\"empty\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"ui-load-comments ui-cta-button\" onclick=\"this.innerHTML = 'Please Wait...'; this.classList.add('loading'); return false\" href=\"news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console#comments\"><span class=\"icon icon-comments\"><\/span> Show Comments<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"reply\" class=\"block comments\">\n<header class=\"widget-header\">\n<p>Leave A Comment<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p class=\"empty\">Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-group optional\">\n<div class=\"insert centered block with-label lazyload for-mobile lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_N691708E364D67\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-after-comments\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"Lazy_Load_HP_MPU\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- cache: html:pushsquare.com\/ssl\/ps5\/related\/articles\/japan,ps5,sony @ 1763113727 --><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-articles\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles-2\"><\/span>Related Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<p class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/abc5650855a9a\/75x75.jpg\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Poll: Is Ghost of Yotei Better Than Ghost of Tsushima?\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"heading\">Poll: Is Ghost of Yotei Better Than Ghost of Tsushima?<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">The Ghost with the most<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<p class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/9d463ce3f06af\/75x75.jpg\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"First PS Plus Extra Game for December 2025 Announced\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"heading\">First PS Plus Extra Game for December 2025 Announced<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">Available from 2nd December<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<p class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/126e3613568c5\/75x75.jpg\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"First PS Plus Extra Game for November 2025 Leaked\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"heading\">First PS Plus Extra Game for November 2025 Leaked<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">Chances are you won&#8217;t be pleased<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<p class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/ec525be2c1847\/75x75.jpg\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition: All New Content, All Creation Club DLC Listed\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"heading\">Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition: All New Content, All Creation Club DLC Listed<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">Every Creation included in Anniversary Edition<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<p class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/c9ac3d4026bde\/75x75.jpg\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Red Dead Redemption 1 Confirmed for PS5, Out 2nd December\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"heading\">Red Dead Redemption 1 Confirmed for PS5, Out 2nd December<\/p>\n<p class=\"description\">Free upgrade for PS4 owners<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"insert centered block with-label lazyload for-desktop lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_J691708E364E40\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/desktop_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-after-related-articles\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"LAZY_DESKTOP\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/game\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Game<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pushsquare.com\/news\/2025\/11\/heres-why-sony-is-making-a-japan-specific-ps5-console\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s Why Sony Is Making a Japan-Specific PS5 Console The headline announcement out of this week&#8217;s State of Play Japan livestream was a new PS5 console that&#8217;s specific to the country. It only operates in the Japanese language, and it only works with Japanese PSN accounts. By doing this, Sony is able to offer the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/59d2551777bd7\/large.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1774,1403,1400,1404],"class_list":["post-16260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game","tag-japan","tag-news","tag-ps5","tag-sony"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}