Sony Group introduced for the first time a PlayStation 5 solely for gamers in Japan, reducing the price by about 25% in an attempt to better compete with Nintendo’s similar Switch 2 model.

The region-locked PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will cost ¥55,000 ($357), Tokyo-based Sony announced Wednesday via a live stream. That’s significantly below the previous price of ¥72,980 and much cheaper than the offering in the U.S. at $499. It will be available for order on Thursday and goes on sale Nov. 21.

"We would like many players in Japan to enjoy the PS5 and its great lineup of games,” Hideaki Nishino, chief executive officer of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said during the online program announcing the product.

Ghost of Yotei, one of Sony’s marquee PS5 exclusives, sold 3.3 million copies globally in the first month after its Oct. 2 launch, the company said in announcing its earnings a day earlier.

Nintendo, Sony’s console-making rival, took a similar approach with a more affordable Japan-only, Japanese-language edition of the new Switch 2 console. Released alongside the international versions, that home-market model contributed to the Nintendo console having the fastest-ever launch sales in the industry’s history.

Sony’s price cut surprised consumers, coming not long after the entertainment giant was forced to raise prices of the PlayStation 5 around the world due to U.S. tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Sony has also said it’s trying this year to balance profitability with its hardware strategy.

Japan has been a tough market for the PlayStation platform over the past few generations, as Nintendo continues to dominate there. Sony’s move marks a gesture of fan service to the domestic audience and may be setting it up in a better position ahead of its next-generation PlayStation hardware’s launch in the coming years.