Console Prices Could Reportedly Increase 69% in the US Due to Trump Tariffs

by
William D’Angelo
, posted 15 hours ago / 7,345 Views

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the trade association behind the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) published data from a report by the Trade Partnership Worldwide (TPW), which warns the Trump tariffs could cause the price of video game consoles to increase by 69 percent in the US.

“The President’s tariffs on the ten consumer tech product imports in our report will reduce American consumers’ purchasing power by $123 billion,” reads the report. “They will cause significant price increases for U.S. consumers.

“For example, the average retail price will increase for: Smartphones by 31%; Monitors by 32%; Laptops and tablets by 34%; and Video game consoles by 69%.”

A universal 10 percent tariff went into effect on April 5, while other tariffs were paused for 90 days, except in China, which currently has a 145 percent tariff.

The report (via Tom’s Hardware) states 87 percent of video game consoles come from China, which are currently subject to a 145 percent tariff. This could potentially see the average price per console increase by as much as $428. Consumers are expected to cut back purchases by 73 percent. This could result in a $12 billion drop in consumer purchasing power in the US, as well as the US economy losing $10.4 billion annually from just consoles.

We have already seen the first effects of the Trump tariffs as Microsoft on May 1 increased the price of Xbox consoles, games, and accessories.

In the US, the price of the Xbox Series S increased by $80 to $379.99 and $429.99, while the Xbox Series X went up by $100 to $549.99 for the digital model and $599.99 for the disc drive model. The 2TB Xbox Series X has shot up $130 to $729.99.

Nintendo does produce some consoles in Vietnam and has been able to stockpile Switch 2 consoles ahead of its June 5 launch. However, the company did increase the price of Switch 2 accessories in the US.

Sony did increase the price of the PlayStation 5 in Europe Australia and New Zealand last month. There has been no word yet if the price will increase in the US.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Bluesky.