PS5 is reportedly suffering manufacturing issues, with ‘4m less consoles expected’

PlayStation 5 is reportedly experiencing production issues related to its system-on-chip (SOC), which will see four million fewer consoles made this fiscal year.

Bloomberg reports that production yields are currently as low as 50% for PS5’s SOC, meaning it now expects to ship 11 million consoles by March 31, 2021 – down from 15 million ordered this summer.

“Yields have been gradually improving but have yet to reach a stable level,” the publication’s manufacturing sources said.

UPDATE: Sony has reached out to GamesIndustry.biz with the following statement denying the Bloomberg report:

“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false,” the statement reads.

“We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production.”

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES: Sony reportedly boosted its PS5 orders with suppliers in July, in anticipation of increased demand for gaming devices this holiday season and beyond, as the pandemic continues to see an increased amount of people stay at home.

Production of PS5 started in July this year. According to Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners, Sony will use Air Freight to meet demand this holiday and ship as many units as possible in the launch period.

The analyst previously told VGC he expects supply issues for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X this year.

“While production is ramping up and component scarcity is less of an issue than before, we believe that logistics issues will be a barrier for both platform holders to overcome this holiday, with the impact from Covid-19 leading to long shipping times and shortages on store shelves during the launch period. We expect Sony and Microsoft to utilise air shipments, which will cost more, to meet demand this year.”

Sony is expected to reveal PlayStation 5’s release date and pricing details during a 40-minute digital event on Wednesday.

Bloomberg analyst Masahiro Wakasugi said he expects the next-gen console to be priced “as low as $449,” while the Digital Edition “may dip below $400.”

further reading

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Sony confirms it will hold a 40-minute PS5 showcase on Wednesday

Broadcast will feature "the latest titles from Worldwide Studios and partners"

Microsoft’s two next-generation consoles – each with different technical specs – Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are set to retail for $500 / £449 and $300 / £250.

Pre-orders for Xbox Series X and S begin on September 22, while PlayStation US has invited a select number of fans to pre-order PS5 directly from the platform holder, despite not having specified its launch details.

Last month PlayStation’s marketing boss, Eric Lempel, called PS5’s upcoming games roster “the best line-up that we’ve ever seen in the history of PlayStation.”