A DigiTimes article has suggested that production on a PS5 redesign is likely to begin in 2022. Citing a source and the company’s track record, the publication has given a release date of mid-2022. What’s your take on this? Should Sony really be redesigning the PlayStation 5? Or should we just wait a little longer? What can we expect from a new console? Let’s take a closer look.
Sony’s reps stated that hardware is in “short supply”:
There’s been a significant shortage of hardware on the market for the PlayStation 4, and Sony’s reps have acknowledged that it’s affecting production. The company is having difficulty producing extra units, and may be unable to meet demand for the new PlayStation 5. Nintendo, too, has been suffering from a shortage of chips. The company’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, said that the shortages are likely to continue through the first half of the year.
The PlayStation 5 launched in November 2020, but demand for it has been so high that consumers have had trouble getting their hands on one. The device’s custom AMD CPU and graphics components have made it a hot item in the end-market, but the company’s production plans have not met demand in the first place. The shortage has continued since the PS4 launched and has been blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic that is straining the supply chain of semiconductors. Inflation may also have affected consumer demand, but Sony’s reps say that hardware availability will remain the same through March 2023.
Nintendo’s president said that there’s no end in sight to the semiconductor shortage:
A large part of the problem is the shortage of silicon, the basic building block for video games. China has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted the supply of silicon. The shortage of silicon is affecting tons of different industries, including Nintendo. Despite the high demand, however, there seems to be no end in sight for the shortage of chips for the PS5 redesign. Nintendo’s president, Shigeru Miyamoto, recently said that “there’s no end in sight” for the current shortage.
The company has split its stock into 10 shares, indicating that it no longer plans to release the “Pro” Switch this year. However, Furukawa did not rule out releasing the “Pro” Switch later this year despite the chip shortage. Sony, on the other hand, has already said that the PS5 will be available this year. That’s why it is imperative for both Sony and Nintendo to get more Switch consoles into hands before the end of this year.
Sony is looking to redesign the PlayStation 5:
The PlayStation 5’s supply problem is one of the main reasons Sony is redesigning it. This console was released a year earlier than originally planned, but the shortage has left many disappointed. The company is mulling over different solutions to the problem, including reworking the design and finding secondary suppliers. In addition, the company recently reported that Xbox One sales exceeded their own forecasts, selling seven million units instead of seven million. However, the shortage is not limited to hardware. Other solutions include sourcing secondary suppliers and altering the PS5’s design.
The PlayStation 5 was released last October and was a hit in Japan and Australia. As a result, Sony has been releasing new consoles. It’s likely that the first revision was due to the lack of demand, and fixing reported bugs. Although the company has not announced the new revision yet, the problem has caused Sony to cut its revenue forecasts for next year. Sony plans to address the problem next year.