PS5 Prices Rise In Europe, UK And Australia, U.S. May Be Next - 1

Image by Nikita Kostrykin, from Unsplash

PS5 Prices Rise In Europe, UK And Australia, U.S. May Be Next

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Sony has raised PlayStation 5 prices in several countries, citing inflation and currency issues, experts warn U.S. price hikes could follow soon.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Sony raised PS5 Digital Edition prices in UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • Standard PS5 prices increased only in Australia and New Zealand.
  • PS5 Pro prices remain unchanged across all markets.

Sony has increased the price of its PlayStation 5 Digital Edition in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, blaming “a challenging economic environment” for the hike.

The Digital Edition will now cost £429.99 in the UK and €499.99 in Europe—up from £389.99 and €449.99, as reported by CNBC . This marks the second major price rise in these regions since 2022.

The price increases affect both the Digital and standard disc-drive versions in Australia and New Zealand. The standard PS5 and the newer PS5 Pro are spared from price increases in Europe and the UK, keeping its current price in all markets. Sony also reduced the price of its attachable disc drive accessory slightly, as reported by The Verge .

The price hikes come as global inflation and currency fluctuations continue to strain tech companies. Sony explained it made the “tough decision” due to “high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates,” though it didn’t mention the newly imposed U.S. tariffs that are also likely contributing to rising costs.

President Trump recently announced “reciprocal tariffs” on over 180 countries, including a 145% tariff on game consoles imported from China—where Sony manufactures most PS5 units, as reported by PCMag . These tariffs don’t apply to smartphones, but consoles haven’t been exempted, and analysts believe U.S. prices will rise soon.

“I would be very surprised if Sony was able to keep the PlayStation prices in the US stable,” said Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based Kantan Games, as reported by CNBC. “Now is the ‘right’ time for the company to hike prices because user backlash would be comparably limited, he added.”

Whistleblower Says DOGE Took Sensitive Labor Data from U.S. Labor Agency - 2

Photo by Warren on Unsplash

Whistleblower Says DOGE Took Sensitive Labor Data from U.S. Labor Agency

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

An official whistleblower has raised concerns and shared information with Congress and other government institutions about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) allegedly accessing and exporting sensitive data from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Whistleblower informed Congress about DOGE allegedly accessing and exporting sensitive data from the federal labor agency.
  • According to NPR’s report, multiple workers and experts raised concerns over the irregular actions of Musk’s organization team.
  • Around 10 gigabytes of data that could contain sensitive information was taken from the NLRB department.

According to an NPR exclusive , a group of members of the DOGE arrived at the NLRB Washington department in March and said they needed to access data for compliance with the Trump administration’s policies and improve efficiency.

However, the whistleblower Daniel Berulis—who shared documents, interviews, and communication records reviewed by NPR—as well as other workers of the NLRB department, noticed significant data being taken away from the agency by DOGE engineers.

The data, which shouldn’t leave the department, could contain information on unions, corporate private information, and details of ongoing legal cases. Berulis, who works in the IT department at the NLRB, explained that the data was the size of around 10 gigabytes, but they couldn’t see exactly what was in it.

According to the whistleblower statements, the DOGE members requested tenant access—the highest level—, that their activities remain unregistered in the log system— which goes against best practices and security standards—and tried to cover tracks with behaviors that cybersecurity experts interviewed by NPR considered similar to what criminal hackers would do.

“The whole idea of removing logging and [getting] tenant-level access is the most disturbing part to me,” said one of the anonymous engineers interviewed by NPR.

NLRB workers also noticed log-in attempts from Russian IP addresses and raised concerns about new vulnerabilities after the intervention of DOGE’s team. The intentions or the reasons why DOGE accessed and removed data are unclear.

“There is no reason whatsoever for accessing the information. Now, could any agency be more efficient? More effective? Positively,” said Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of California specializing in labor and information technology, in an interview with NPR. “But what you need for that is people who understand what the agency does. That is not by mining data, putting algorithms in, and creating a breach of security.”

Since the debut of DOGE’s operations this year, many workers, experts, and citizens have warned and raised concerns over the activities of the new government entity managed by Musk. Earlier in March, DOGE deployed the proprietary chatbot GSAi after firing federal workers in massive job cuts. Just a few days ago, the Social Security website crashed after Musk’s team’s intervention .