Those looking to get a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S within the next year or so may be disappointed to hear that the ongoing chip shortage may last until 2023 now. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger noted the company expects the semiconductor shortage to continue into 2022, which will significantly slow down the amount of PS5 and Xbox consoles available to consumers amongst other high-demand tech products.
Since pre-orders went live last fall, it has been incredibly hard to get one of the new consoles. Although there are regular restocks, the actual amount of stock is still incredibly limited and also hindered by scalpers/bots. One teen made millions on scalping PS5 consoles and other hot items like Pokémon cards. With that said, it's likely this will only continue, though maybe resale prices will loosen up as more people get their hands on the console at a slow rate.
During an Intel earnings call (via GameSpot), CEO Pat Gelsinger noted that the he expects the global chip shortage to diminish soon but that it will take one to two years before the tech industry can fully match consumer demand. It's unclear how conservative Gelsinger's estimate actually is, as he may be preparing for a worst-case scenario. Previous estimates suggested that the console shortage could improve by mid-2022, so this latest industry opinion may somewhat align with that time frame.
Perhaps the consoles will start to become easier to get over the coming months, but only time will tell. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how this impacts how games are released. Rumors have suggested that Rockstar is taking its time on Grand Theft Auto VI for a number of reasons, such as wanting to wait until there are a lot of consoles in the hands of prospective buyers. If a developer is building a game exclusive to these consoles, it'll want to reach as big of an audience as possible, and shortages could hinder that.
Still, some PS5 exclusives have topped the sales charts despite its relatively small install base compared to the other available consoles. Perhaps the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 will have a steady enough supply stream that will encourage developers to release their games, but there will still likely be a lot of fans who will have to watch from the sidelines for at least another year.