While the PS5 has an SSD, 3D Audio, and its most advanced controller ever in the DualSense, making it a powerful upgrade from the 2013-released PlayStation 4, it has been a very difficult console to get a hold of.
Due to the pandemic, and related lockdowns, demand for the latest consoles from PlayStation and Xbox shot through the roof, but supply was constrained due to a shortage of computer chips and other components. While the PS5 initially sold very well, it has slipped behind its predecessor in sales pace now, falling behind the figures the PS4 posted in sales in its first couple of years, due to those supply issues.
Sony is aware of this and is making the supply issue a "top priority" according to its latest business summary. It identified Covid-19 as a factor that could affect parts inventory and the war started by Russia that could impact logstics and potential parts inventory as among short-term risks.
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But the Japanese console maker is putting in place measures that can reduce these impacts. These include sourcing from multiple suppliers and negotiating logistical routes to "maintain optimal PS5 delivery routes". Making a console and distributing to consumers around the world is no small feat, after all.
Sony says there is "unprecedented demand" for PS5, noting that 55 percent of console consumers are interested in purchasing the console a year after it launched, compared to 28 percent interested in purchasing a PS4 a year after its launch. Meanwhile, the PS5 sold through 80,000 units in just 82 minutes in US retailers, according to its business overview, compared to an 80,000 sell-through in nine days for the PS4.
Sony has put out a strongly confident overview for its latest console, saying it's building its biggest platform ever, citing a strong brand, high engagement, the unprecedented demand, and that it's also tackling the PS5 supply issue. Hopefully, it will succeed in this matter because many consumers are still eager to get their hands on one, if online comments and disappointed punters are anything to go by.