A new take, cause console's are going to be expensive.
The Wall Street Journal's Jason Douglas asked to Totoki.
"It is lucky, you know, we are in the latter half of the lifetime cycle of a PS console," Totoki said. "That means that we do not need to aggressively sell the console today. And rather than that, we're focusing on recurring revenue from the current user base. And already, PS Plus has more than 125 million MAU today. And how to monetize from the users is quite important for us."
That's the strategy when Sony answered a question about future PS Plus price rises by talking about levers and record profitability.
One number needs correcting
Totoki stated that there are 125 million PS Plus monthly active users. That figure is PlayStation Network overall, not subscribers. Sony's own reporting puts PS Plus somewhat lower.
What the position looks like in practice
Console sales fell 36% year-on-year last quarter, following the price increases, which was expected. Digital's share of game sales climbed from 78% to 82%, ahead of the disc production shutdown in 2028.
But profits rose 37%, driven mainly by US tariff refunds and exchange rates. None of those refunds reach consumers but there are some lawsuits going on.
So the current picture is fewer consoles sold, more revenue per user, higher digital share, and a company describing all of it as lucky timing.
Why it works
The PS5 now costs roughly 30% more even though we are on the second cycle, the first mid-generation price increase in PlayStation history, and Sony can absorb the sales impact because most of its hardware shipping is done.
Nintendo launched Switch 2 into the same crisis with none of that cushion and Xbox increased European prices by up to 200 euros on hardware people were already reluctant to buy.
GTA 6 arrives on 19 November, and PlayStation is where most people will play it. There's no competitive pressure forcing Sony to move consoles at any price.
PS6 isn't expected before 2028, which leaves a long stretch of monetising the base before Sony has to sell anyone anything again.
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