The low price has a catch: this model is based on the region-locked PS5 Sony launched in Japan last November. Its language is fixed to Japanese and it only works with PlayStation Network accounts based in Japan, which prevents it from being exported and explains why it costs less than a standard console.

Players elsewhere cannot buy the black console, but the look is easy to imitate. The PS5's side covers can be removed and swapped, and Midnight Black covers cost $54 or £45. Since the middle of the console is already black, fitting the covers achieves much the same effect. A Midnight Black DualSense controller is also sold worldwide; the only piece missing from a full black setup is the disc drive, which comes in white only.

There is a hint the black console might travel: it is possible Sony will bring the Midnight Black version to other regions after the Japanese launch. At home, meanwhile, Sony is struggling to keep up with PS5 Pro demand in Japan, where a lottery system is used to distribute supplies, so a new model may help relieve that pressure.