Possible PS5 Redesign Might Solve Supply Shortage in 2022

Sony might be planning to redesign the PlayStation 5 to solve shortage issues and stabilise supply in 2022.

Credit: Kerde Severin on Unsplash

Taiwanese publication Digitimes reported that semiconductor suppliers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, are expected to produce new chips for Sony’s console soon. The report also claimed that Sony aims to install a new “semi-customised” 6nm AMD CPU to replace the current custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU.

It is worth noting that Digitimes is not the most reliable source of information when it comes to leaks. Analyst Dr Serkan Toto tweeted that the Taiwanese news outlet has a “spotty record” when it comes to rumours, and as such, should not be taken too seriously. Time Magazine writer Harry McCracken wrote about the Taiwanese publication’s “rumourmongering” in 2012, which gives credence to Dr Toto’s warning.

However, there is also a possibility that Digitimes could be hitting the nail directly on the head this time. Sony’s CFO, Hiroki Totoki, stated during one of the company’s recent investor calls that Sony is willing to change the PS5’s design to cope with the growing semiconductor shortage.

It is not known if the new 6nm AMD CPU will be just as good or better than the current one. But if the rumours are true, then the PS5 should be a lot easier to find and obtain by the second or third quarter of 2022.

Redesigning its consoles is nothing new to Sony. You may remember that Sony rolled out redesigns of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 a few years after their releases. The new models were noted to perform even better and more reliably than the first iteration. However, the company seems to have no plans to change the PS5’s external design at the moment.

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Written by John Paul Joaquin