According to a new Bloomberg report, Sony is struggling with its PlayStation 5 launch plans. The report states that Sony is planning to produce 5-6 million PlayStation 5 units by March 2021. By comparison, PlayStation 4 sold 7.5 million units in its first two quarters on the market.
Though the coronavirus pandemic does seem to have impacted Sony’s promotional plans, it has reportedly not impacted production capacity. Rather, the console’s next-generation specs, which will drive up the price, are influencing the production run. Game developers making games for PS5 are predicting the launch price to fall between $499 and $549. Sony has struggled to set an appropriate price due to “scarce components” and market fluctuations, but a higher price point could mean fewer units sold.
In order to help mitigate the foreseen burden of more limited PlayStation 5 availability, Sony may decrease the price of its standard PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro consoles. With these current-generation consoles more available, Sony is hoping to bring more users into PlayStation Plus or Now until more PlayStation 5 units are available. The report further states that Sony was supposed to approve PS5 business plans in March, but it has yet to occur due to social distancing measures.
DualSense, the PlayStation 5’s standard controller, was reportedly released in a hurry to avoid its being leaked by others, and other major console details may release without any formal presentation as well. However, as long as Microsoft stays on track to release its Xbox Series X this year, insiders predict Sony to launch in 2020 as well, with Macquarie Capital analyst Damian Thong saying it may not be a surprise to see either publisher selling its console for $450 at a loss in order to keep competitive.
For now, Sony plans to start production in June, with the PlayStation 5 and its DualSense controller launching globally later this year. Though some next-generation games will inevitably see delays in some form or another, expect to see both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hitting shelves before the year is out.
