The PS5 is reportedly having some production issues after Sony declared that a supply shortage is making manufacturing “difficult”.
The issues were discussed as part of Sony’s Q3 earnings call. This call apparently detailed the companies plans for the PS5 in terms of sales. During the call, a spokesperson claimed that the company plans to sell more PS5 units than the PS4 in its second financial year. The PS5’s predecessor managed to shift 14.8 million units during its second year. Sony, unsurprisingly, expressed its ambition to surpass this figure during the call (via Newsweek):
What Did Sony Say About PS5 Production?

“For [the] next fiscal year, we believe that there will be strong demand to continue. The second year of the launch of the PS4 [hit] 14.8 million, we would like to exceed that level of PS4 when it comes to PS5,”
As strong as the PS5’s demand might be, Sony’s CFO, Hiroki Totoki, also stated that the company is currently experiencing issues with production. This is apparently due to a shortage of semiconductors.
“It is difficult for us to increase production of the PS5 amid the shortage of semiconductors and other components. We have not been able to fully meet the high level of demand from customers [but] we continue to do everything in our power to ship as many units as possible to customers who are waiting for a PS5.”
These semiconductors are used to make the console’s AMD based processor. This means that production could come to a halt without the components. The shortages are a symptom of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This is something that Sony cites as a blocker alongside increased demand for the console:
“…the level of demand by customers is so high for PS5, therefore, for various devices, we try to procure larger volume. However, we have to look at the global shortage of semiconductors. When we try to increase our capacity, we face difficulties because of this global situation. However, we are doing our best to exceed the original plan in terms of shipment.”
AMD’s CEO, Lisa Su, also stated during an earnings call that these supply shortages could continue till the second half of 2021. Ultimately, this means that the PS5 will be hard to catch, especially since PS5 resellers are consistently grabbing any available consoles at inhuman speeds.
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Featured Image Credit: Sony / Life Science Institute / GameByte