Sony expects PS5 shortages to last into 2022

By Joseph Yaden May 10, 2021

Sony expects to struggle to meet the demands for PS5 into 2022, according to a new report from Bloomberg. This news comes by way of Sony chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki, who warned investors that PS5 shortages will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PS5 next year, our supply wouldn’t be able to catch up with demand,” Totoki said, according to Bloomberg.

As of March 31, Sony reported selling 7.8 million PS5 systems, which is slightly more than the PS4 sold within its first five months on the market. Though, the PS4 itself has continued to perform well, reaching 115.9 million units sold as of the end of March.

“We have sold more than 100 million units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market share and reputation, I can’t imagine demand dropping easily,” Totoki said to investors. Sony said it needs to continue to ramp up PS5 production if it wants to stay on track with (or surpass) the PS4’s sales figures.

The main reason Sony has struggled to meet PS5 demands has to do with a shortage of parts such as semiconductors. Semiconductor shortages have also impacted production of Nintendo Switch systems, which have been difficult to find for the better part of a year and are also expected to be scarce for the foreseeable future.

Both Sony and Nintendo are rumored to have hardware revisions planned for PS5 and Switch, respectively, though neither company has confirmed what these upgrades will entail.

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Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…

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