The Japanese market for the PS5 has been seeing quite a bit of success thanks to hardware renting. Japanese retailer GEO, speaking to Japanese outlet IT Media News (via VGC), has said that PS5 console rentals have been “more popular” than the company had expected.
GEO had originally started its service of offering PS5 consoles on rent during the console’s launch days when hardware shortages affected every market. Since then, the company has expanded its operations to offer rentals through 400 of its outlets across the country. Through GEO, a PS5 can be rented for 8 days at a price of ¥980 (roughly $6.62), or for 15 days for ¥1,780 (roughly $12.02).
The retailer has also mentioned that the release of certain games tends to bolster the popularity of the service even more. GEO specifically mentions the release of Monster Hunter Wilds for a recent spike. For context, Monster Hunter has traditionally been an incredibly popular franchise in Japan, owing in large part to the country’s culture of handheld gaming and the Monster Hunter franchise being available on PSP and Nintendo 3DS in the past.
According to GEO, while video game rentals themselves might be declining in Japan, console rentals are still doing quite well. “The rental shops in the city are on the decline, but I would like everyone to remember the goodness of rental again in a new form,” said GEO’s Mr. Sakai (translation via Firefox). “I would be happy if you could feel the immediacy that can be borrowed on the spot and the goodness unique to real shops.”
Sony might have noticed the popularity of the rental service in Japan when it announced a team up with UK-based company Raylo to offer PS5 rentals in the UK back in March. Through Raylo, a disc drive model of the slim PS5 can be rented out for £11.99 per month. The two-controller Digital Edition PS5 is also available for rent, costing £13.49 per month, while a PS5 Pro can be rented for £18.95 per month.
The rental service offered by Raylo also includes Flex programs, allowing players to pay monthly for the console’s rental while still maintaining the freedom to cancel the rental at will. Along with this, players can also opt to rent the console for longer, fixed amounts of time, between 12, 24, and 36 month options. PS5 accessories are also available through Raylo, from the DualSense controller to a PlayStation VR2 and even a PlayStation Portal.
