The PlayStation 5 shortage means that Sony has had to put on ice plans to retire the PlayStation 4 – and suggests more stock problems at Christmas.
Considering that it launched over a year ago, now, Sony should be rubbing its hands with glee over the success of its PlayStation 5 games console. It’s the fastest-selling console of all time, an all-the-more impressive feat given ongoing stock shortages, and the lack of exclusive first party titles for the machine. The power of the PlayStation brand is strong.
But also, the problem with component shortages remains strong too. Two Christmases running, Sony hasn’t been able to make enough of the machines to take advantage of consumer demand. That’s allowed ‘people’ – let’s call them that – to purchase units for the express reason of selling for a hefty profit on eBay, and there’s a plethora of Twitter accounts you can follow to try and track you a unit in stock somewhere.
Whilst there’s a degree of scarcity creating demand at work somewhere – surely? – Sony’s struggle to get hold of enough component parts remains real. So much so that it’s decided to give its last generation console – the PlayStation 4 – a temporary reprieve.
The original plan was to stop making PlayStation 4 machines and focus on the new generation consoles. But, starved of having enough PlayStation-branded things to sell to people, it’s now extended the life of the PS4 for the rest of the year. They’ll be rolling off production lines until the end of 2022 at the latest.
This is in marked contrast to its rival, Microsoft, that mothballed production of its last generation machine – the Xbox One – over 12 months ago. Its focus is now entirely on making Xbox Series X and Series S machines, albeit battling not dissimilar stock problems to Sony.
Bottom line: if you’re looking to give or receive a PlayStation 5 next Christmas, Sony is basically admitting you’re still going to have a sod of a time trying to track one down. Ho ho ho!
