Though Sony’s PS5 is still planned for a 2020 launch, a new report states the console will see extremely limited availability at first.
Following on from yesterday’s claim that Sony will hold a PS5 event on June 3, Bloomberg now reports that the console’s 2020 launch will be much smaller than in previous generations. Apparently, the company plans to make between five to six million units before the end of the fiscal year (March 2021). As Bloomberg notes, PS4 sold 7.5 million units by that time after launching in November 2013.
The limited production is apparently due to PS5’s ‘ambitious specs’ placing strain on demand. The console will also reportedly have a high price point at launch, with some developers speculating it will sell between $499 to $549. Launch is apparently still planned to be global, though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may still affect some plans. Microsoft still plans to launch its competing console, the Xbox X Series X, this year too.
While Sony works on increasing supplies, the company may cut the price of the existing PS4 and PS4 Pro consoles.
While it might be disappointing to see a limited launch for PS5, it might not matter for those interested in the console for its VR offerings. While PS5 will support the original PSVR, and PS4 backward compatibility should make old games playable on the console, it’s not likely to release a true successor for the headset on PS5 this year. By the time a possible PSVR 2 does release, the console is likely to be much more widely available. You can catch up with everything we know about PSVR 2 right here.
