Sony has brought its hardware rental service to the UK, allowing prospective customers to lease a variety of PlayStation hardware.
Lease with Flex first popped up in Japan last month, but has now made its way to the rainy shores of the UK. Ran by a third-party service, the idea is that you visit the PlayStation website and agree to lease a console or piece of hardware on a rolling monthly basis, or 12-months to 3-years.
PS5, PS5 Pro, the PS Portal, PSVR2, and the PS5 DualSense Edge pad are all up for grabs.
| Console / Device | Monthly | 12 Months | 24 Months | 36 Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital PS5 | £21.95 | £16.49 | £11.99 | £10.99 |
| Base PS5 (w/ disc drive) | £23.59 / mo | £17.99 / mo | £12.95 / mo | £11.99 / mo |
| PS5 Pro | £35.59 / mo | £26.99 / mo | £20.99 / mo | £18.95 / mo |
| PS Portal | £13.99 / mo | £10.49 / mo | £6.95 / mo | £6.49 / mo |
| PSVR2 | £51.49 / mo | £37.99 / mo | £22.99 / mo | £18.49 / mo |
| PS5 DualSense Edge | £20.59 / mo | £14.99 / mo | £8.99 / mo | £7.49 / mo |
At first, the idea seems quite good until you start working out the actual maths behind it. You see, this is only a leasing service, meaning at the end of the contract you still won’t own the device and have to return it. However, you will have paid almost the exact same amount as buying the hardware. For example, for the digital PS5 you’ll pay just under £400 across 36 months which is roughly the same as buying it.
Of course, the obvious answer is that the service is perfect for people who simply can’t afford to buy a console or PS VR 2 or Dualsense Edge outright. However, in those cases it’s pretty easy to find finance deals with zero interest, and those come with the benefit of actually owning the product at the end of the contract.
Should those deals become unavailable though, which is always a high possibility given how crazy the world’s economic situation is, then Flex might become more appealing.
It’s also worth noting that the small print does mention a possibility of being able to buy the device, but it doesn’t offer any details: “You have the option to return, upgrade or you may have the option to purchase the device at the end of your lease, subject to Raylo’s discretion and pricing at that time.”
So, are you tempted to try it out? I admit, I’m tempted to lease a Portal for a month just to see if my network could do it justice, rather than shelling out for it and discovering it won’t work well enough.