Bloomberg reports Sony will make about 4 million fewer PlayStation 5 systems in its current fiscal year, a production cut attributed to a weakened supply chain that provides the console’s motherboard.
Sony now expects to make about 11 million units, Bloomberg said, citing sources familiar with the company’s plans. Those sources said that production yields for the PS5’s custom-designed silicon have gone as low as 50%. While those yields have improved, they haven’t stabilized at a reliable level.
Sony, in April, planned on making 5 to 6 million PS5s, according to internal plans reported by Bloomberg at the time. But the company more than doubled those plans following a summer when quarantine lifestyle pushed its PlayStation Plus subscriptions to record levels, and generated big sales for first-party exclusives The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima.
For comparison, Sony’s original, publicly shared sales estimate for the PlayStation 4 called for 5 million PS4s to be sold during its first five months on shelves. The PS4 ended up selling 7.5 million units from its Nov. 15, 2013 launch to March 31, 2014.
Sony is expected to announce the price, launch, and pre-order dates during a showcase presentation Wednesday afternoon. Rival Microsoft has already revealed Nov. 10 as the launch date for its Xbox Series X (and Series S), with pre-orders of the $499 and $299 consoles beginning Sept. 22.
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