In a stunning move, Sony has announced a dramatic 25% price increase for its PlayStation 5, sending shockwaves through the gaming community. This escalation is largely attributed to the repercussions of Donald Trump's tariffs impacting the tech industry.

Starting Monday, UK gamers will see the digital edition of the PS5 jump to £429.99, while European players will face a similar bump to €499.99. Interestingly, the standard PS5, which comes with a disk drive, remains unaffected by these price changes.

Citing current economic turbulence marked by high inflation and volatile exchange rates, Sony's decision is part of a broader pricing strategy in various regions including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania.

Down under, Australian gamers will now pay A$829.95 for the standard PS5 and A$749.95 for the digital version. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the prices rise to NZ$949.95 and NZ$859.95, respectively.

The tech sector is grappling with the potential fallout from President Trump's tariffs on imports. In a related move, rival gaming titan Nintendo recently unveiled its upcoming Switch 2 console, just a day before tariffs were unleashed on foreign goods, which prompted the company to pause US preorders.

Japan, facing a hefty 24% tariff on its exports to the US, remains wary. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has indicated that Japan isn’t in a rush to negotiate major concessions regarding these tariffs.

The ramifications extend beyond Sony, with companies like Apple bracing for rising production costs. Investment bank UBS has signaled that the price of the iPhone 16 Max could skyrocket by 79%, from $1,199 to an astounding $2,150 if tariffs remain high.

Recently, Japanese stocks saw a brief uptick following news that the US would suspend tariffs on some electronics, including smartphones. However, this relief may be short-lived, as Trump warned that no one would escape unscathed from ongoing trade investigations.

In a bold statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump reassured followers that the US would not be held 'hostage' by countries like China, hinting at a national security review of the semiconductor and electronics supply chains.