Aug 20 (Reuters) - Sony ( SONY ) will raise prices of

its PlayStation 5 consoles in the United States by around $50

from Thursday, as the Japanese conglomerate navigates a slow

recovery in the videogame market while U.S. tariffs threaten to

raise costs.

All three PlayStation 5 consoles will see a similar price

hike, with the most expensive PS5 Pro version expected to cost

$749.99, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

The price changes come after U.S. President Donald Trump

announced sweeping tariffs on imports from global manufacturing

hubs such as China and Japan, leading to fears of supply chain

disruptions and high material costs.

Sony ( SONY ) had raised prices of its consoles in various European

markets in April. Rival Xbox also hiked sticker prices of its

consoles and accessories in the U.S., Europe, Australia and the

UK a month later.

Consoles were expected to be a major driver of videogame

market growth this year due to the launch of premium titles such

as Take-Two Interactive's "Grand Theft Auto VI" and

Nintendo's ( NTDOF ) Switch 2.

But console price hikes and the delay of highly-anticipated

"GTA VI" to next year have cast some doubt on the pace of growth

in the industry.

On Wednesday, Sony ( SONY ) said there are no price changes for other

markets and prices of PlayStation 5 accessories remain

unchanged.