The PlayStation 5 was released in November 2020, but the console is still hard to find on store shelves. Sony cannot meet PS5 demand as supply continues to be an issue, resulting in many aspiring customers resorting to buying from scalpers or waiting for months for stock to replenish.
There are several reasons for these supply problems, but a lack of parts appears to be the main culprit. The chip shortage is impacting all electronic industries worldwide, and Intel’s CEO doesn’t expect the situation to get better until 2024. Sony recently released a Business Segment Briefing for 2022, stating that PS5 supply issues may continue for a couple of years.
The 42-page PDF contains several graphs detailing the market performance and prospects of the Game & Network Services Segment of Sony Group Corporation. The information on page 12 discusses PS5 supply issues and how Sony plans to tackle the problem. The chart shows that PS5 outsold PS4, launches aligned, in its first year but couldn’t maintain the lead due to supply constraints. Sony expects PS5 console sales to close the gap in its third year before finally overtaking in the fourth year.
This means that PS5 supply issues may not be fully resolved until 2024, and fans will likely not see the console on store shelves until then. Sony shares a couple of mitigation measures to hopefully solve this issue, including sourcing from multiple suppliers and negotiations to maintain optimal PS5 logistics. The same page highlights short-term risks, such as the impact of ongoing world events on the difficulty of obtaining parts.
Another page shows unprecedented demand for the PS5 console. Sony states that US retailers sell PS5 consoles at a rate of 1,000 systems per minute compared to 6 PS4 units in the same time frame. Although, these numbers cannot be directly compared due to the vastly different stock situation between the two consoles. PlayStation 4 was also supply-constrained for the first few months, but most users were probably able to find a system at retail within a year of its launch.
Interested fans can find more information on the overall PlayStation business in the PDF. This includes PC sales numbers of PlayStation games, Sony’s intention to develop live-service titles, and the company’s plans to expand beyond video games. It also contains information on PS VR2, as Sony confirms over 20 major first-party and third-party launch titles for the headset, including Horizon Call of the Mountain.
Source: Sony
