Bloomberg: Sony produces fewer PS5 consoles in first year due to high price

Sony plans to produce between 5 and 6 million units of the PlayStation 5 for its fiscal year ending in March 2021. When the PS4 came out, 7.5 million units were sold in two quarters.

According to financial news agency Bloomberg, Sony has shared the numbers with partners who are helping in the production of the console. The lower production would be related to the higher price; Sony expects to sell fewer consoles as a result. It is not yet known what the PlayStation 5 will cost, but according to Bloomberg, developers working on PS5 games expect the device to cost 500 to 550 dollars. The PlayStation 4 was released in 2013 for $400, with 14.4 million units shipped in its first year.

Sony would have trouble determining the sale price, because some parts are currently in short supply. The PlayStation 5 gets a very fast 825GB SSD, which requires expensive flash memory. Memory prices have fallen sharply in recent years, but are rising again because there is no longer any overproduction.

The PlayStation 5 will be released at the end of this year and Bloomberg sources do not expect the corona pandemic to affect the release date. It does, however, presumably influence the presentation; a major press event may be skipped.

Sony DualSense controller for PlayStation 5