Sony PlayStation 5 is one of the most popular game consoles in history. Fans of the Japanese console fell in love with it for its high performance at an affordable price, as well as for its exclusive and multiplatform games. The console is available in two versions – Sony charges $ 500 (about 27.7 thousand rubles) for the version with a driver, and $ 400 (about 22.1 thousand rubles) without an optical drive.
PS5 in Russian retail
You can now buy the new Sony PlayStation 5 console from many retailers. For example, M.Video offers a PS5 with a floppy drive for 80,000 rubles. The model sold is listed under code number CFI-1116A, meaning it was brought via parallel import from the UK.
The official price of the console in the UK is easy to find – it costs 450 pounds (about 30 thousand rubles) there.
You can find a PlayStation 5 with an optical drive in other major stores. For example, in DNS, the console is significantly more expensive – there is a product page for 90 thousand rubles, and in Eldorado for 72 thousand rubles, but the console itself is not available. It is not yet available in Svyaznoy, but its website has a price tag of 100,000 rubles.
The only advantage of buying from official retail is the availability of a warranty. For the goods imported within the scope of parallel import, they are obtained from the store.
PS5 on AliExpress
More recently, it has been very profitable to buy PlayStation 5 consoles on AliExpress, especially when the dollar rate fell to record lows and payment was made using Qiwi on the site.
Alternative payment methods have now disappeared on AliExpress, including using a profitable Qiwi wallet, the rate of which is much closer to that determined by the Central Bank.
The dollar-ruble exchange rate as of July 20 is 55.44 rubles, but AliExpress has its own rate. It is not possible to control now by changing the display of the currency in the application or on the website of the site – for some reason this possibility is blocked.
If you believe the Telegram channels tracking discounts on the site, the exchange rate on July 20 was 61.42 rubles. per dollar, but a week ago the rate of the Central Bank at that time was 71.11 at 58.53 rubles.
If you pay for the purchase using the available methods, then on AliExpress a PlayStation 5 with an optical drive will cost an average of 58 thousand rubles, and a driverless version – 52 thousand rubles.
Considering that after the purchase, the user has to wait for his package and worry about its safety for at least two to three weeks, buying on AliExpress does not seem very profitable, since the PS5 can be found cheaper in Russia.
PS5 on Avito
Prices on sites with ads look much more interesting. The average cost of a new PlayStation 5 with an Avito driver is 55,000 rubles. There are more than enough offers – mainly Japanese and European versions, but there are also Russians, for which the “superior offer” mainly demands 60 thousand rubles. There is no difference between all variants of a console.
In addition, you can find used options there. On average, they ask for 45 thousand rubles or 50 thousand rubles if the goods are in good condition. for perfect condition.
PS5 “gray” in stores
PlayStation 5 in Russia can also be purchased in so-called “gray” stores. Some are also offered on Avito. Large stores have official showrooms and websites, which Avito sellers can not boast of.
For example, on the website of the Big Geek store, you can buy a PlayStation 5 with a driver for 70 thousand rubles. At the same time, it was not possible to find information on the site about the region where the device is located.
The store operator, with the phone number listed on the site, told socialbites.ca correspondent that this “is not the Russian version of the PS5, it is the American and European versions” and is guaranteed by the store in any case. year.
Another big store selling “gray” products is Tsifrus. On their website there are two models of PS5 – Japanese and Russian for 59.8 and 62 thousand rubles. respectively. The store also offers Japanese and Russian versions of the PS5 Digital Edition for 54 and 64 thousand rubles. respectively. At the same time, the driverless version is slightly more expensive than the driver version. The model with the driver allows you to run not only games on discs, but also high-definition movies.
At the store’s support, the reporter was told that there was a warranty from the manufacturer when the PCT version was purchased, but they were unable to answer a question whether Sony is currently servicing their console as there have been no recent reports of damage. In the case of purchasing the Japanese version, the warranty is provided by the store itself.
“socialbites.ca sent Sony a request for clarification, but received no response at the time of publication.
Suggestions before you buy
Before buying a console, you should carefully study the reviews of the seller – and it does not matter whether it is an individual with Avito or a large “gray” store. In the case of Avito, it is also recommended to familiarize yourself with the “history” of the seller – you should not pay attention to newly registered profiles, which are not archived goods sold and reviews of successful transactions.
Before buying a console, you should also be prepared for the fact that the PS Store does not work in the Russian Federation, so there is no way to buy new games. Also, it will not be possible to pay and renew the subscription to the Russian PS Plus, which provides access to multiplayer games.
All these restrictions are especially important for PS5 Digital users and future owners who lack the ability to download content from discs. Therefore, it is recommended to look for a model with an optical drive, as it will be possible to purchase physical versions of games imported into Russia through parallel import. Including this option is useful when purchasing used discs.
In this case, it is worth deciding in which country the PlayStation account will be created in order to be able to pay for game and subscription purchases. Formerly socialbites.ca said About one of these ways. So with the help of intermediaries it is possible only for 2.5-3 thousand rubles. Get the Turkish PS Plus Deluxe subscription, which will take more than a month to pass, in the catalog that already has more than 700 free games for users. At the same time, new titles will be added to the project list in the future, so the first-time console buyer from Sony will not even need to spend money to buy games.