Video game consoles have been spared inflation in Japan, but for how long?

The weaker yen has triggered price hikes on electronics from iPhones to refrigerators across Japan this year, with one glaring exception: the video game console. Sony Group, Microsoft and Nintendo have held fast to a 100-yen-to-the-dollar conversion rate that today sees their consoles as much as $100 cheaper in Japan than elsewhere in the world. No company wants to be first to break the unwritten rule against raising prices after a console's release, for fear of losing players and game developers to rivals, and all three believe they can recoup any losses through international software sales. But that may be changing. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.