Sony hopes to increase PlayStation 5 shipments in the second half of the year
Sony’s PlayStation 5 game consoles, like the Xbox Series X and Series S, have been complicated to acquire since they started shipping late last year. According to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, cited by The Verge, the shortage of consoles will remain for some time. However, console shipments are expected to pick up in the second half of this year.
In an interview with The Washington Post and the Financial Times, the head of Sony’s gaming division shared his thoughts on how the PlayStation market has turned out in recent months and what to expect in the future.
“The demand for consoles was higher than we expected. This and the complexities in the production chain have led to a shortage of consoles in the market, ”Ryan said.
The situation will improve, but it will take time, added the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“Every month throughout 2021, the situation will improve. The pace of recovery in the production chain will accelerate throughout the year, so by the second half of 2021, we are expecting really decent volumes of consoles shipments, ”Ryan explained.
However, he did not promise that anyone who wants to buy a console in the next pre-New Year period will eventually be able to do so. The high demand for the PS5, combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the global shortage of semiconductor components, means that most consoles are being bought using special online bots. And this, in turn, does not allow the company to assess the number of ordinary players who need consoles adequately.
“Unfortunately, there is no magic to solve all these problems,” commented Ryan.
At the same time, the company notes that more and more people are finding the opportunity to purchase the new PlayStation 5. According to Ryan, every fourth PS5 owner did not have a PlayStation 4 before, and about half of current PlayStation 5 owners signed up for the PSN online service for the first time.
