Sony announced the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Midnight Black (Japanese Only) on October 13, 2026. It goes on sale in Japan on November 19 for ¥55,000 including tax, which is roughly $350 depending on the exchange rate you use. Pre-orders open October 20 at Japanese PlayStation retailers and online stores. Sony hasn't announced it for the US, UK or anywhere else.
This is a reseller story because anyone who wants one outside Japan will have to import it.
What you get
According to Sony's Japanese announcement, the model is CFI-2200B02S and the box includes:
- The console (825GB SSD, no disc drive)
- A DualSense wireless controller
- Two horizontal-stand feet
- HDMI cable, power cord, USB cable and printed materials
- ASTRO's Playroom pre-installed
A matching Midnight Black disc drive (CFI-ZDD1J01) launches the same day for ¥11,980 including tax, about $76 to $80.
The catch: it's locked to Japan
Both the product name and the box say it plainly: Console Language: Japanese only. Per Gematsu and VGChartz:
- The system language is locked to Japanese.
- It only works with a PlayStation Network account registered in Japan.
That is a bigger limit than a plug or a manual in another language. A Japan-region account means a Japan-region store, and many Japanese retailers won't ship a pre-order overseas. Sony's announcement also puts it under a two-year warranty campaign (the usual year, extended by one if you buy before March 31, 2027), but that applies in Japan.
This isn't the first time. Sony launched a Japan-only PS5 Digital Edition on November 21, 2025 at ¥55,000, when the standard Digital Edition cost ¥72,980. Reports at the time said the price cut and language lock were meant to keep units from being exported. The new black model is the same idea in a new color.
Disc production news in the same announcement
Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia also repeated that PlayStation games newly released from January 2028 will only be sold as downloads. Games released before that date will still come on disc. It isn't new, since Sony had already said it, but it's the context for the separate disc drive.
Is it worth flipping? Our take
We could not find a single eBay sold listing or grey-market price for this model, because it doesn't exist at retail yet. Anything we said about resale value would be a guess, so here is only what the facts support.
- Pass for most US resellers. A Japanese-only, Japan-account console is a hard sell to a regular US buyer. Even if collectors want the all-black look, most would have to accept a Japanese menu and a second account.
- The reason to watch it: collectors who want the color and don't mind the restrictions. We haven't confirmed prices for this one.
- The disc drive is the cheaper, more interesting item, but it's unconfirmed whether it pairs with a non-Japanese console. Sony says pairing requires an internet connection. Don't buy a stack until someone has tested it.
- If you do try it: pre-orders on October 20 are the only way to get it at retail, you'll need a proxy or forwarder that accepts Japanese pre-orders, and import duty and shipping can eat the margin on a ~$350 console.
For limited items that are easier to flip, see the PS5 LISA DualSense write-up and our Lowkey Flips page. The team covers limited console and collectible drops in the Discord, and we'll post the first sold prices if this one shows up on eBay.
Sources
- PlayStation Japan blog: Midnight Black announcement (Oct 13, 2026)
- Gematsu: PS5 Digital Edition Midnight Black Japan-only model launches November 19
- VGChartz: PS5 Digital Edition Midnight Black Japan-only launches November 19
- Gigazine: the original Japan-only PS5 Digital Edition (Nov 2025)
- Video Games Chronicle: Japan-only PS5 Digital Edition
- Wario64 on X flagged the announcement on October 12, 2026