Sony alleges that rumors of production issues with the PS5 were unfounded, and the console manufacturer has denied earlier reports claiming it had to cut the number of systems available at launch by four million units. The PS5 is due to be released by the end of the year, but the system still lacks a solid release date and COVID-19 difficulties rightfully have many players nervous about securing their own step into the next console generation.
There have been rumors of production problems with the PS5 circulating since the start of the year. At the time, COVID-19 was still mostly contained to China, where the vast majority of factories that build video game console parts are based. Sony has been denying these rumors throughout the year despite the pandemic slowing production lines and harming the global economy for months on end, and the company has stuck to its 2020 holiday season release date for the system all the while.
It was recently reported by Bloomberg that Sony had to reduce PS5 production numbers by four million units, due to issues with components necessary for the system. It was claimed that the planned fifteen million units had been shaved down to eleven million units. Sony has reached out to Gamesindustry.biz to officially refute this report and has denied any production issues with the PS5, stating:
“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false... We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production."
Despite Sony's latest optimistic reassurances, there is still a chance that not everyone will have access to the system at launch. The fact that Sony has opened sign-ups for pre-order information has worried some fans, especially as these pre-orders will have strict restrictions as to how much can be ordered. It's possible that Sony is just playing it safe, and with the lingering threat of a waves of COVID spread beyond the current second wave and the resumed lockdowns those could bring, it's hard to blame the company for taking this approach.
The rumors of production issues with the PS5 haven't been helped by the lack of basic information about the system, as we still don't know the price or exact release date of the console. Hopefully, the speculation will end tomorrow, as Sony is hosting a PS5 Showcase event on September 16 that is expected to reveal the relevant details about the console's launch. Sony has the chance to prove that it has all of its ducks in a row when it comes to availability this holiday season, especially if pre-orders are ready to go live soon. Microsoft has already laid out the relevant details of the Xbox Series S/X launch and there are no indications of any production issues with those machines, so it's down to Sony to make sure it has enough consoles on shelves to compete this Christmas.
The PS5 is due to be released during the 2020 holiday season.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz