Sony details how it underestimate the demand for the Playstation 5. Now, the Japanese firm notes that production is “ramping up steadily.”
Sony notes how the consumer demand for the Playstation 5 “was greater than anticipated.” It is currently the leading console, showing off better performance so far compared to the Xbox Series X.
PS5 affected by global chip shortage
In an interview with the Washington Post, Sony CEO Jim Ryan notably blamed the slow production of the PS5 on the global Semicon shortage. Right now, companies like Sony, Xbox, NVIDIA, and others are having issues producing chips.
Mounting concern about a global chip shortage flags the possibility that industry faces a supply-chain crunch https://t.co/FqQM05WBmT
— Bloomberg (@business) February 16, 2021
The global shortage of silicon and other semiconductor materials is a rising concern. Right now, gaming consoles like the PS5 and Xbox are competing with vehicle manufacturers for the chips.
So far, production is starting to ramp up with some countries, especially China, free from the pandemic. Production is on the upward trend and Sony expects it to normalize soon.
“Demand was greater than we anticipated,” Ryan said. “That, along with the complexities of the supply chain issues, resulted in a slightly lower supply than we initially anticipated.”
Sony has sold more than 4.5 million units of the PS5. This number far exceeds the 4.3 million that the PS4 posted around the same time by the end of 2013.
Sony production “ramping up steadily”
Ryan notes that the supply for the Playstation 5 is “ramping up steadily.” In a separate review, he notes that they will get “really decent numbers” soon.
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— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 23, 2021
“It will get better every month throughout 2021,” the Sony CEO noted to Financial Times. “The pace of the improvement in the supply chain will gather throughout the course of the year, so by the time we get to the second half of [2021], you’re going to be seeing really decent numbers indeed.”
Ryan further noted that “there are very few magic wands that can be waved” to change any of this. Sony is looking to outpace the production of the PS4 in 2014. They are looking to ship as many as 14.8 million units in their next fiscal year.
AMD, the chipmaker for both the PS5 and the Xbox, had a more grim outlook. AMD noted that there will likely be supply issues “until the second half of the year.”
“It’s fair to say that the overall demand exceeded our planning and as a result, we did have some supply constraints as we ended the year,” said AMD CEO Lisa Su in January. “Those were primarily, I would say, in the PC market, the low end of the PC market and in the gaming markets.”
Sony revealed a few key announcements for the Playstation 5 this week. These include a next-gen VR system coming for their console.
Featured image courtesy of PlayStation/YouTube Screenshot