PS5 may launch in January 2021 in India - But there is a catch

Sony PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

Sony is yet to launch the PlayStation 5 in India, and almost a month after the global release the company is yet to announce a date for India. Sony fans have been hounding Sony India for information ever since the global launch dates were announced, but the company has remained stoic in its responses. 

Meanwhile, the Sony India website, controlled by the EMEA team that is based out of Europe, had updated the website on November 19 being the launch date three times. Only that it was even quicker to remove the listings as Sony India stated  that there was no concrete date on when the launch will take place.

January 2021 launch? Leaks suggest so

And now a report from The Mako Reactor mentions that Sony’s own franchised stores have given out information that an expect pre-orders to go live before the end of December. And that the console will launch in India mid-January, and some of the store are even taking pre-orders payments upfront. The report also mentions that this is unusual since Sony has not allowed the stores to take pre-orders yet.

Multiple Sony Centers across cities in India have corroborated this version and the company has apparently told them that the official announcement will be coming soon. Besides this the console will apparently only be available in limited quantities, hence only the metropolitan cities will be getting them initially. This was also the case when PS3 and PS4 launched in India. 

The PS5 Digital edition will also be available in much smaller quantities since it has less demand. Hence the best way to go about getting your hands on the console is to pre-order soon as it goes live. As for pricing, the PS5 will retail for Rs 49,990 while the Digital Edition will be available at Rs 39,990. All the accessories and games will also be available in India at launch.

It was previously reported that some retailers sourced informal information from its sources that had indicated a January 2021 launch of the console. But these were not definite at that point in time. But then Sony announced its over the top global demand and that it is indeed quite buoyant over the response from users at a global level.  And, the company has said that it would be adding more PS5 inventory before the end of 2020 due to the unprecedented demand for the console. 

Though Sony has not shared the actual number of consoles sold till date, it did let us know via social media that PS5 had been a record launch. 

Which now makes us believe that the console could land in India once Sony manages to fortify its inventory required to meet global demand in countries where it had launched last month, that includes North America, Europe and West Asia. 

Bodhisatwa Ray

Hardcore gamer, gadget enthusiast & cinema buff | Gaming, tech correspondent & reviewer at TechRadar