If you’ve had trouble securing a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X, you are definitely not alone. In the run-up to Christmas, supply was disappointingly scarce, and new consoles were virtually sold out by the time they were in stock everywhere. At least, for the PlayStation 5, we can see these stocks easing in the new year – at least if we believe a new report believes.
According to DigiTimes (via Gematsu), Sony has managed to make 3.4 million PlayStation 5 units available worldwide in the first four weeks, which is definitely an impressive number. The PlayStation 5 was released on November 12 in the US, Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand, while it traveled to Europe and other world regions on November 19. What’s important is that the figure has been gone the last few weeks before Christmas, so it would not be surprising to learn that the total PS5 shipments are now slightly higher.
Of course, the PS5 sold out as fast as Sony and its manufacturing partners could produce stock, but it looks like production will get a boost in the new year as well. DigiTimes’ report also says that PS5 production is expected to reach 16.8 to 18 million units by 2021, which will be helped by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) which will give AMD more foundry capacity to manufacture the PS5’s CPU.
The hope is that downstream production will also be able to increase with this additional foundry capacity. While PS5 shares may still be difficult in the coming weeks and months, it may not be too long before demand begins to catch up – obviously assuming the DigiTimes report (based on claims from “industry sources”) is accurate.
For now, however, the PS5 is very difficult to obtain, and although we are officially on the other side of the holiday shopping season, we expect the stock problems to ease at least for a while. If you are trying to secure a console for yourself, consult our tips and tricks to defeat the scalpers, bots and your usual human competition.