Players looking for a PlayStation 5 may have to wait longer to find one.
Sony warned on Wednesday that it was struggling to meet the demand for the hot-game console because it was struggling with a shortage of computer chips.
The Japanese technology giant has said it will have to compete with a wide range of other companies for the semiconductors the PS5 has made, such as carmakers and smartphone companies.
“It is difficult for us to increase the production of the PS5 amid the shortage of semiconductors and other components,” Hiroki Totoki, chief financial officer of Sony, said at a news conference.
Despite production issues, Sony said it had sold 4.5 million PS5 consoles from launch in November to the end of December. Performance was on par with the launch of the PlayStation 4 in 2013, which shipped 4.5 million units to market in the first quarter, Sony said.
Sony said it was on track to reach its target of selling more than 7.6 million PS5s by the end of March, although it had not yet “been able to meet the high demand from customers.”
The $ 499 consoles are hard to find since pre-orders sold out within hours in September. Scalpers tried to hawk the consoles for thousands of dollars on eBay after they officially hit stores.
“We continue to do everything in our power to ship as many units as possible to customers waiting for a PS5,” Sony said in its earnings report on Wednesday.
Sony’s New York-listed shares rose 10 percent on Wednesday to $ 109.48 after the company increased its profit outlook, thanks in part to the strength of its gaming unit.
Sony now expects to make an operating profit of 940 billion yen (about $ 9 billion) for the year ended March 31, with 340 billion yen (about $ 3.2 billion) from the gaming and network services segment.
With Post threads