Summary
- Sony’s partnership with Raylo offers UK gamers a lease option for PS5 bundles.
- The lease program may attract new players to Sony’s gaming ecosystem.
- Lease plans offer savings on PS5 Pro, but don’t include ownership; which is a potential downside compared to Xbox All Access.
Sony has partnered with UK-based rental company Raylo to lease PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation accessory bundles. The decision comes as the Japanese company continues to face distribution challenges, like the PS5 disc drive shortages. However, this new service could indeed offer many potential UK gamers a new way to experience current-gen video games without a significant upfront investment.
Sony managed to secure 59% of the UK gaming console market by 2023. Despite this, UK scalpers have sold the PS5 consoles at exorbitant prices, creating significant distribution issues. Additionally, PS5 sales are seemingly declining globally, with some reports suggesting that PS4 Pro sales have even surpassed those of its successor. So, Sony’s lease program could simply be the company’s way of attracting new players into its gaming ecosystem through leases—a strategy that many tech giants have used before.
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As part of one of Sony’s new partnerships, Raylo, a UK-based rental company, will lease all versions of the PlayStation 5, along with the PlayStation VR2 and the PlayStation Portal. Contracts range from 12 to 36 months, with pricing starting at £8.99 ($11.60) and reaching up to £22.49 ($29), depending on the bundle and contract terms. Lessees won’t own the console or accessory, as the agreement is for a fixed period, but they will have the option to upgrade, extend, or terminate the contract. Raylo also lets customers buy the leased device at the contract’s end, but conversion rates and fees have so far not been disclosed.
Sony’s PS5 Lease Deals Offer a Range of Bundles
One of the best lease deals on Raylo is the 36-month contract for the PS5 Pro, starting at £18.99 ($24.45) per month. Over three years, that totals £683, which is less than the console’s retail price of £699.99 in the UK. This is a viable option for those looking to switch to the PlayStation 6 once it’s released, as rumors suggest Sony’s new console could arrive in 2027. However, it’s important to note that all gaming consoles come with additional costs. For the PlayStation 5, PS Plus fees and the price of games could push the total to a couple of thousand pounds over a three-year contract.
One downside of Sony’s new lease plan is that ownership of the console doesn’t transfer to the lessee once the contract ends. Some might argue that Microsoft did a better job of making its console accessible with the Xbox All Access plans, which offer a $40 monthly payment for full ownership of the device plus a Game Pass subscription. However, Microsoft’s All Access isn’t widely available in the UK and US and is limited to specific regions. As such, Sony’s new lease program could still prove to be a successful business move, bringing more gamers to the current-gen PlayStation community.
PlayStation 5
Sony’s PlayStation 5 is part of the ninth console generation and debuted with a launch lineup that included Demon’s Souls and Astro’s Playroom. The console comes with a Blu-ray disc, although a digital-only edition is also available for a cheaper price.