With so much hype prior to its release, finding a PlayStation 5 is all but impossible last year. So, Japan has decided to halt all but one PS4 variant to make way for more PlayStation 5s. According to Sony, they are going to end the production of PS4 Pro consoles in Japan except for a specific model. As per reports, it is not yet clear whether this will apply to other markets as well. But the good thing is that PlayStation 5 will come back again sooner than you think.
According to Gamewatch, PS4 console production has already been discontinued, although a variant is yet available. Particularly, the 500GB PlayStation 4 ‘Slim’ model would still remain for production.
The Reason Behind It
PS5 Hardware Reveal Trailer
Sony has decided on this move to shift production to the newer version of the console. We know that PlayStation 5s have been facing stock shortages ever since its launch day last November 2020. Sony’s latest console release is the biggest in the company’s console history in the United States alone.
So far, the decision to discontinue certain PS4 variants is only effective in the Japanese mainland. And it’s not yet known if Western markets will soon follow suit. To be fair, PS4 retails start at $399 which is almost the same as its latest counterpart. With Sony looking for ways to shift from last-gen to new-gen within three years, it’s natural and expected that a company will increase the PS5 production ASAP.
Xbox already did a similar thing last July 2020, when they discontinued the production of their Xbox Series S Digital Edition and Xbox One X to make way for the Xbox Series X.
Season – The Game Awards 2020 Official Announcement Trailer PS5
Sony’s weighed decision won’t mean that the PlayStation 4 owners won’t receive some form of compensation, though. According to Sony Interactive CEO Jim Ryan, it’s crucial for the company to still serve their old-gen console owners by at least until 2022.
To those who have missed out on PS5’s initial release, here’s your chance. According to PS5 Stock Central, stocks will be made available again starting from January 7 in the US, Ireland, and the UK. Following the announcement, it added that should the restocks fail to arrive in time, there’s always a next week for that.
The Future Of PlayStation 5
PlayStation fans will finally be able to get their hands on this hardware (once again). Either way, Sony has things to do ahead of it this 2021. Some reports claim that the company expects to ship at least 18 million units by the year’s end. These numbers really do suggest a potential sales trajectory higher than that of PlayStation 4.
Not all is a good start for PS5, though, especially in its home country. According to various sources, the pace of PS5 sales in Japan is the worst one to date. If this situation continues, it’s likely that the PlayStation 5 won’t exceed with what the PS4 managed to accomplish in its legacy.
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