New Walkman $5,899.99

Commenters reacted mainly to the Walkman’s eye‑watering price and styling. Several mocked it as an ostentatious luxury item - silverFork called it “for zillionaires,” spottedmarley assumed the gold finish must be real gold, and stockresearcher joked about a $9,999 Discman. xvxvx invoked Sony’s history of expensive proprietary accessories to explain the pricing. jerlam reported surprise that Sony’s whole Walkman lineup skews very expensive, noting even the cheapest branded unit is much pricier than typical players. 4d4m and others lampooned audiophile marketing (oxygen‑free copper), while khalidkhair and drum55 dismissed the hardware as essentially an iPod Touch or Android phone without cellular radios and an awkward, intentional user experience.

Other commenters defended the concept as a niche, deliberate product. juiceland described using older Walkmans as a phone‑free way to listen to music, praising the stock Android and the device’s role as a unitasker while admitting claimed hardware advances probably exceed audible limits. That view contrasts with those who see the player as a halo item with little real sonic benefit. Overall the debate split between ridicule of the price/branding and begrudging acceptance of a niche market for dedicated, phone‑free music players, with distrust of Sony’s pricing and marketing running through both sides.