CNET⁠47%

The PS5 Is Now More Expensive Than Ever, but These Deals Can Help Ease the Hit ⁠67%

By Max McHone⁠88% Jason Coles⁠88%

4/13/2026, 9:23:00 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 20 faulty reasoning types, including Loss Aversion, Recency Bias, and Hasty Generalization, with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 32.2% saturation with 184 hits. Analysis detected 1,087 faulty-reasoning hits from 571 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 60.8% and a BS Rank of ⁠67% (7,240 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 66.90% of the article peer group.

If you've been waiting for the "right time" to pick up a PlayStation 5, it's becoming clear that moment is getting farther away. 
Sony has now rolled out not just one, but two rounds of price increases -- the first in the US back in August 2025, and the second more recent global hike in March -- both tied to "continued pressures in the global economic landscape." 
The PS5 is now noticeably more expensive across the board. 
The standard PS5 has climbed to $650, the Digital Edition sits at $600 and the PlayStation 5 Pro now comes in at a hefty $900. 
At these prices, straightforward discounts on the consoles themselves are increasingly rare. 
Still, it's not all bad news. 
Even with the overall price bump, there are trade-in programs, bundle offers and discounts on accessories or games that can help soften the blow. 
To help you navigate it all, CNET's deals team has pulled together the best offers so you can stretch your budget a bit further. 
PlayStation console deals 
PlayStation has been around for 30 years, and this year will mark the sixth anniversary of Sony's PlayStation 5. 
Since its release, Sony has also dropped the PS5 Slim and the PS5 Pro, seeking to reach a wider audience -- the latter of which pushes the console’s graphical fidelity and ray‑tracing capabilities to the next level. 
Whichever PS5 version you choose, you’ll immediately access a vast library of exclusive titles and blockbuster experiences. 
And these deals make it easier to start the year gaming without overspending. 
(Prices may vary by region.) 
PlayStation 5 Pro: $900 
There are currently no direct discounts for the PlayStation 5 Pro. 
But you can take advantage of Best Buy's trade-in program and save a bit if you have an eligible device. 
PlayStation 5 slim console (digital edition): $499 
Amazon is not offering direct discounts at the moment, but you can trade-in an eligible device to save money. 
You get the digital edition of the slim gaming console, a wireless controller and 1TB of storage. 
PS5 Fortnite Flowering Chaos bundle: $400 
Score the 825GB digital edition PS5 console for $100 off, and get some bundled extras for Fornite, including 1,000 V-bucks. 
This bundle is the ideal pickup for the Fortnite fan in your life. 
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves: $32 (save $18) 
Persona 3 Reload: $20 (save $50) 
The Last of Us, Part II Remastered: $42 (save $8) 
Gran Turismo 7: $43 (save $27) 
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Standard Edition: $43 (save $27) 
God of War Ragnarok Standard Edition: $35 (save $35) 
The Nioh Collection: $35 (save $35) 
Astro Bot: $50 (save $10) 
Stellar Blade: $56 (save $14) 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7: $35 (save $35) 
Bye Sweet Carole: $16 (save $24) 
Kingdom Come Deliverance II Standard Edition: $30 (save $20) 
Elden Ring Nightreign Deluxe Edition: $27 (save $28) 
PlayStation 5 accessory deals 
WD-Black SN850P 2TB Internal SSD with heatsink: $330 (Save $739) 
This 2TB solid-state storage drive is marked down at Best Buy. 
It has everything you'll need to expand your PS5's storage, including a built-in heatsink. 
Razer BlackShark V2 headset: $40 (save $20) 
PowerA twin charging station: $21 (save $7) 
Razer BlackShark V2 X wired gaming headset: $58 (save $42) 
Sony Inzone H9 wireless noise-canceling gaming headset: $200 (save $130) 
HyperX Cloud III wired gaming headset: $58 (save $42) 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 2.3%Max McHone: 0.6%CNET: 1.7%Confirmation Bias2.3%This article: 5.3%Max McHone: 9.7%CNET: 2.3%Anchoring Bias5.3%This article: 4.0%Max McHone: 1.0%CNET: 2.9%Availability Heuristic4.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.9%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.2%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.6%CNET: 2.5%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 5.1%Max McHone: 7.5%CNET: 4.5%Framing Effect5.1%This article: 17.2%Max McHone: 5.3%CNET: 1.3%Loss Aversion17.2%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.5%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 11.7%Max McHone: 4.8%CNET: 3.8%Optimism Bias11.7%This article: 4.0%Max McHone: 3.0%CNET: 1.3%Pessimism Bias4.0%This article: 11.6%Max McHone: 5.5%CNET: 3.6%Negativity Bias11.6%This article: 4.2%Max McHone: 1.1%CNET: 1.7%Self-Serving Bias4.2%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.2%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.4%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 8.9%Max McHone: 9.5%CNET: 4.3%Halo Effect8.9%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 17.0%Max McHone: 4.2%CNET: 1.4%Recency Bias17.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.4%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Straw Man0.0%This article: 7.5%Max McHone: 5.9%CNET: 4.2%Appeal to Authority7.5%This article: 6.8%Max McHone: 1.7%CNET: 1.2%False Dilemma6.8%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.5%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.2%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 16.3%Max McHone: 5.0%CNET: 4.7%Hasty Generalization16.3%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.6%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 10.0%Max McHone: 2.5%CNET: 2.3%Appeal to Emotion10.0%This article: 2.3%Max McHone: 0.6%CNET: 0.5%Begging the Question2.3%This article: 4.0%Max McHone: 1.0%CNET: 1.5%Post Hoc (False Cause)4.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.4%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.3%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 6.3%Anecdotal0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 15.9%Max McHone: 4.4%CNET: 3.0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)15.9%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 1.0%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.3%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 4.1%CNET: 6.2%Biased Writer Voice0.0%This article: 4.0%Max McHone: 2.6%CNET: 2.4%Indoctrination4.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Max McHone: 0.0%CNET: 0.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 32.2%Max McHone: 35.9%CNET: 13.1%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…32.2%

571 words analyzed.

Speakers

2speakers11%attributed speech510writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 44 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 25 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 24 words • 0.0% coverageCNET • 24 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageSony • 37 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 14 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

CNET

100%flagged-word coverage
24 attributed words39% of attributed speech69% writer coverage
0%50.0%100.0%Attempt to Sell a Product +68.6 ptsWriter: 31.4%CNET: 100.0%100.0%Indoctrination-4.5 ptsWriter: 4.5%CNET: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.