Sony plans to produce less PS5 consoles in the first fiscal year from launch, compared to previous generation consoles like the PS4, Bloomberg reports. The publication quotes people familiar with the matter stating that the company “expects the PS5’s ambitious specs to weigh on demand by leading to a high price at launch.”
That would be about 5 to 6 million units which are less compared to the 7.5 million PS4 units produced in the first two quarters after launch.
These are many units still, but the company’s fiscal year runs upto March 2021.
Nonetheless, the company’s slash in output is not affiliated with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, according to the report, but that may change depending on how the Covid-19 situation goes on from here. What has been affected is the company’s promotional plans.
Creation of new game titles has also been heavily affected by the virus crisis, as more people are pushed to work from home to help curb the spread. Sony has already warned some launch titles destimed to launch with PS5 might be delayed.
Based on past reports, pricing has seemed to be a problem for Sony’s next gen console which may affect how fast gamers upgrade from the PlayStation 4.
But according to game developers, the console may retail at around $499 to $549, which would be an easy sell but makes it hard for Sony to break even, considering the increase in the cost of components burried inside the console.
Currently, Sony Playstation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro retail at $300 and $400, respectively and these are expected to dip by some extent after PlayStation 5 is availed to the consumer market.
The company has already pulled wraps off their upcoming Dual Sense controller and even PlayStation 5 internals, but it seems time is not yet ripe for the market to have a look at the real console.
Mass production of the console is scheduled to begin in June, with an official launch expected towards the holiday season when people will be up to shop for new gadgets.
Via/Bloomberg