Sony has launched a game console rental service in the UK, allowing players to rent PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR2 headsets or PlayStation Portal. Users can choose from a 12-, 24- or 36-month lease for lower prices, or choose a month-to-month renewal plan that can be canceled at any time.
PlayStation Portal Remote Player starts at £6.49 ($8.37) per month, and PS5 Pro starts at £18.98 ($24.43) per month. PlayStation VR2 was recently reduced from $549 to $399, making it just £18.49 ($23.84) per month.
These prices are for a 36-month lease only, if you choose a 12-month or 24-month plan, your monthly payments will be higher. The monthly payment plan is more expensive: taking PS5 Pro as an example, you need to pay 35.59 pounds ($45.89) per month.
At the end of the lease, players can return the hardware to end the contract, or continue making monthly payments to keep the hardware.
Customers do not need to pay any upfront fees and can return products free of charge within 14 days if they are not satisfied. Orders ship overnight and arrive the next day at no extra cost. All leases are managed by UK lettings agency Raylo and applications will not affect credit ratings.
Always do the math carefully before committing to a rental to ensure that the expense is financially beneficial, for example, you may be a grandparent planning to have your grandchild spend the summer with you. In this case, leasing a PS5 for a few months would be cheaper than buying one outright and letting it gather dust in the fall. On the contrary, if you are a die-hard gamer who plans to build a PS5 game library, it is more cost-effective to buy a game console than to rent a game console.
A similar service offered by one of Japan's largest video game retailers has reached saturation.