While demand for PlayStation 5 remains quite high, the console is reportedly underperforming its PS4 predecessor in multiple regions, including the UK and Japan. According to industry analyst @BenjiSales, the reason for this appears to be that Sony is not meeting the demand for more supply. In a follow-up Tweet, the analyst says that information is not yet available for all regions and that it may be different in some areas. Still, given some of the ambitious goals that Sony had outlined ahead of the console’s launch, it seems there are issues on the production side that are holding back the system’s momentum.
The Tweet from @BenjiSales is embedded below.
Despite a record global debut, PlayStation 5 is actually now selling at a slower pace than PS4, aligned across multiple markets (for example, both Japan and the UK).
Sony stated they want the fastest transition in history and the demand is huge. We need to find a way to speed up production
– Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) January 11, 2021
In October, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki stated that the company planned to ship 7.6 million PS5 consoles by March 2021. That number is significantly higher than the 6 million PS4 units the company has shipped in a similar time frame. With the system now performing below the PS4 in some regions, it will be interesting to see if Sony can make up for lost time!
These delivery issues can be a major problem for Sony. If they continue well into 2021, it could hurt overall console sales and persuade gamers to look into alternative options. Analysts are divided on whether PS5 can surpass its predecessor. Last June, Ampere Analysis’s Piers Harding-Rolls predicted that PS5 wouldn’t sell as many units as the PS4, predicting the same thing for Xbox Series X through Xbox One. However, Japanese analyst Rakuten Securities believes that lifetime sales of PS5 could surpass 200 million, which would be almost double that of PS4.
Despite this shaky start, Sony seems to remain positive about the future. During today’s CES presentation, the company reiterated the fact that PS5 had the biggest launch for any Sony console. However, it remains to be seen whether that success will continue.
Do you think the lifetime sales of PS5 will eclipse the PS4? Have you already managed to find a console? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter @Marcdachamp to talk about gaming!