PS5 consoles could be a bit harder to get hold of than expected, with a report by Bloomberg suggesting Sony has had to downsize production due to shortages of a key processor.
While the initial forecast for this fiscal year was around 14 million, that number is now expected to sit closer to 11 million. While these are still pretty large numbers, the runaway success of the PS4 and general strength of the PlayStation brand could mean that stock is harder to come by after the first wave of pre-orders and launch window sales are fulfilled.
The problem is reportedly due to manufacturing issues with the “custom-designed system-on-chip” needed for the PS5 console, which Sony is struggling to produce on its intended scale.
The final pieces in place
We’re likely to learn the PS5 price and release date during this week’s livestream, and based on this we’ll have an idea of how high demand is likely to be for the new console. If Sony closely matches Microsoft’s Xbox Series X price, it’s hard not to imagine that the PS5 will win in a direct fight, and the number of people pre-ordering the console will be very high.
If the PS5 is significantly higher in cost, though, then the story could be different. Demand is likely to be shaped by tha gap in price – and Microsoft also has the advantage of a console with a much-lower entry point, the Xbox Series S, to lean on.
Healthy supplies or not, then, the number of people pre-ordering a PS5 this year is probably going to be shaped by what we learn about Sony’s plans this week.
