PS5 stock issues continue, as Sony admits it will ship fewer consoles this quarter

(Image credit: Sony)

Sony will ship fewer PS5 consoles this quarter than it managed to the same time last year.

During Sony’s third-fiscal quarter earnings, the company said its current forecast is to ship two million PS5 units between January and March, which is 1.3 million fewer than Sony shipped during the same quarter last year.

Sony chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki admitted that demand for PS5 remains high and that the company is still facing issues dealing with the ongoing global semiconductor crisis. Totoki expects that component shortages will continue in 2023, but that the impact of the pandemic has mostly been alleviated.

Don't expect PlayStation 5 shortages to improve soonIn fact that they are looking to get worse. Sony revised down their forecastCurrent forecast is to ship 2 million PS5 units between January-March quarter. That's 1.3m units less than PS5 Shipped in the same quarter last yearFebruary 2, 2022

Even though Sony has been unable to get more PS5 consoles in the hands of consumers, the company announced that it has shipped 17.3 million units in total as of December 31, 2021. That’s certainly impressive, but it’s almost three million fewer than the PS4 had shipped during the same period of time on sale.

Analysis: PS5 stock shortages continue to frustrate

Close up of a PS5 console and Dualsense controller — (Image credit: Sony)

Consumers have struggled to find PS5 stock ever since the console was released on November 19, 2020, and it appears that it won’t get any easier to secure Sony’s elusive console for quite some time.

The PS5 has been hit by a perfect storm of high demand, component issues, scalpers, and the pandemic, which has resulted in PlayStation 5 stock being impossibly hard to find. It’s clear that Sony’s bottom line is now suffering, as there are still millions of people who would like to buy a PS5, but simply can’t.

Stock drops do happen semi-regularly now, but only a limited amount of units are available each time. There’s also a huge surge of demand whenever a retailer announces stock is available, which can lead to thousands missing out if they’re late to the announcement.

After a quiet holiday period, Sony is set to release several high-profile exclusives which will only entice more people to purchase a PS5. Horizon: Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 are scheduled to release in February and March respectively, and Sony recently released the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.

If you’re searching for a PS5, we’re doing everything we can to help you find Sony’s console in stock.

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Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.