Microsoft will open Xbox Cloud Gaming to non-Game Pass users via a pay-as-you-go model; Ultimate subs will be limited to 15 hours per month of cloud gaming (Tom Warren/The Verge)

Sony has rebuffed demands from PS5 owners to return a portion of the $500 million in tariff refunds it is set to receive, despite previously passing additional costs onto consumers through console price hikes. The company anticipates returning half a billion dollars to its gaming division from the U.S. government. Some PS5 users argue Sony should instead give some of this money back, as it has essentially been paid twice—through the refunded tariffs and the extra money charged consumers due to price increases during the tariff period to maintain profit margins.

Sony is not alone in facing this situation, with Nintendo and Microsoft previously facing similar fan pressure to return some of the refunds, with indie handheld maker Panic confirming it will do so. Sony now faces legal challenges, arguing that customers willingly bought the consoles at the stated price, and paying fair market value for a voluntarily purchased consumer good is not legally actionable.

Sony's lawyers contend that the company's PS5 price hikes, which occurred around the time of the tariffs, were due to a range of factors, such as inflation, currency fluctuations, component costs, logistics, competitive dynamics, or demand. Sony also argues that the recent PS5 price increase, which came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal, contradicts the idea that tariffs caused the price rise.