Don’t Count on the PS5 Becoming Widely Available Anytime Soon

Hoping to snag a PS5? Well, don’t get your hopes up of easily finding one anytime soon as it seems like the shortage issues are far from being sorted.

Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Sony will continue to manufacture PS4 units throughout 2022 in an effort to help satisfy the overwhelming demand for the PS5 and maintain its relationship with its production partners. Citing sources close to the matter, the report adds that the Japanese electronics giant was initially planning to stop production of PS4 consoles by the end of 2021 as it continues the transition to the PS5, but, as we're learning now, that's no longer the case.

Supply for the PS5, which launched in September 2020, remains scarce due to the unprecedented global shortage of chips and components needed to produce the console. While the PS4 is also affected by the shortage, the previous-generation console is easier and more cost-efficient to make and uses less-advanced chips. The target is to produce a million PS4 units this year.

The idea is reportedly to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem" as Sony continues to navigate around the chip shortage.

This development is particularly interesting for us here in Singapore, where even the PS4 has become just as hard to find as the PS5. Major video game retailers like Qisahn and Shopitree no longer have stock of the 2013 console. Even the official PlayStation website no longer has the PS4 listed. So there's reason to believe that perhaps Sony was considering slowly phasing it out starting this year.

God of War Ragnarok. Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment

From the consumer's perspective, it doesn't make much sense to get a PS4 during this period of its lifecycle when it's about a year or two away from losing support for games. However, if you can no longer wait and need a PlayStation console soon, this is, of course, some welcome news. If it's any consolation, some of the PlayStation's major first-party titles like "Horizon Forbidden West" and "God of War Ragnarok" are still hitting the PS4.

But if it's a PS5 you're after, once again, you might have to wait. It was reported late last year that Sony is struggling to reach its production forecasts for the PS5, bringing its original target of 16 million units between April 2021 to March 2022 down to 15 million units. The company also admitted to investors that it's unlikely for it to meet PS5 demand by 2022.

Despite this, the PS5 does indeed get restocked every now and then. So if you really want one, it's best to stay vigilant and regularly check retail outlets.