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PS5 Sold 1,000 Units Per Minute In First Fiscal Year, Fixing Supply Issues A "Top Priority" For Sony

Could anyone have guessed that the PS5 is very popular?

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The PS5 has been difficult to find, due in part to demand exceeding supply and ongoing component shortages. But just how fast is the system selling? Sony said as part of its latest business briefing that the PS5 sold about 1,000 units per minute in the US. Sony is seeing "unprecedented demand" for the PS5, it said.

US retailers sold nearly 1,000 PS5 units per minute for the end of the console's first fiscal year. For comparison, the PS4 sold about 6 units per minute over the same stage of its lifecycle. Sony said these numbers cover three different "leading US retailer events." It's not immediately clear what that means, but in any event, the PS5 had a huge start and is, obviously, a very in-demand platform.

The PS5 got off to a hot start
The PS5 got off to a hot start

As anyone who has tried to purchase a PS5 understands, the system is hard to find, due in part to supplier sourcing issues and factors like "logistical negotiations" for the delivery of systems, Sony said. Sony also stated that Russia's war against Ukraine is impacting PS5 supply issues.

The PS4 is currently outselling the PS5 over the same period of time after launch, but Sony is projecting that the PS5's third year in the market will be when the newer system closes the gap, with PS5 sales in Year 4 finally overtaking the PS4.

The PS5 will finally close the gap soon, it seems.
The PS5 will finally close the gap soon, it seems.

Sony also revealed that the PS5 is doing particularly well in China, where it's sold 670,000 units in 72 weeks, compared to PS4 reaching 250,000 units after its first 72 weeks. The average spending per user in China for the PS5 was $223.34, compared to $69.81 for the PS4 over its first 72 weeks. You can see more statistics in the graphic below.

The PS5 is big in China
The PS5 is big in China

Sony has sold more than 19 million PS5s so far, and the company is projecting to sell 18 million more in this fiscal year alone. Reading between the lines, it appears the PS5 may soon be easier to find.

For more from Sony's latest investor briefing, check out the stories below.

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PearlJam2515

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PearlJam2515

It's a shame that it undersold for Year 2, would be insane to see what the actual sales figures would be if there was no supply shortage.

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yugabe

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yugabe

"PS5 Sold 1,000 Units Per Minute In First Fiscal Year"

So you mean instead of the clickbait:

"PS5 Sold Almost 1,000 Units Per Minute In First 82 Minutes After Release"

Misleading isn't the best way to go, we can always go to Kotaku for that.

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philip6k

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philip6k

@yugabe: It's literally right under 1000, why be so nit picky over something so small? How is this click bait when the numbers are so close.

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Fitzy_2812

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Fitzy_2812

@philip6k: Pretty sure they are more referring to the ambiguous title stating 1k per minute in its first year, when really it was only 1k per minute in its first 82 minutes. A huge difference compared to what the purposely ambiguous headline would initially lead many to believe.

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BoobyTrap

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Edited By BoobyTrap

It all boils down to the fact that they’re being snatched by scalper bots that tend to buy dozens of them at a time.

The PS4 was released way before this phenomenon, so no wonder there is such a big difference there. The PS4 was actually being bought by real people.

There is a great article that The Verge published yesterday. It’s a great look at what has happened to the whole industry. Unfortunately, it doesn’t even look like we’re going back to the pre-pandemic times any time soon.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/25/23137789/aio-buying-bots-ps5-xbox-series-x-console-shortage

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philip6k

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philip6k

@boobytrap: Lol what do you mean, bots were buying ps4 like crazy in the beginning. That phase just didn't last as long as they always had a steady supply.

Also all these bots wouldn't be buying consoles if they couldn't sell them to "real people." So it's irrelevant if bots buy them first, still getting in the hands of real consumers.

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BoobyTrap

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Edited By BoobyTrap

@philip6k: nowhere in my post I said that the consoles bought by the bots don’t get in the hands of consumers. I’m not sure why you’re fantasizing about it in your reply. The whole point of the article and my reply is the rate at which a certain amount of consoles was sold.

I suggest you read the article I linked in my post above: the secondary markets and the bot apps were nowhere as sophisticated when the PS4 launched.

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philip6k

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philip6k

@boobytrap: They didn't need to be as sophisticated back then and bots were just as prevalent. Again it was just less noticeable because they could replenish stock faster.

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jenovaschilld

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jenovaschilld

With nickel, copper, and sand still in short supply it is still a bit away before supply can meet demand. Special sand for silicon production was getting in short supply even before the pandemic, as new areas had not been developed. Copper has been monopolized on the world market, but some new players may give relief. And Nickel shot up with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this will take years to play out.

Even if everything works out perfectly, Sony will either have to raise prices or license out to third party manufacturers. Right now console makers cannot compete with refrigerators, trucks, military, and medical equipment. Looks like a bad time, I never thought supplies would be this bad for so long.

I am a gamer, I understand that the larger the install base (does not matter what console) means more software sold. The larger the pool of potential buyers means more money publishers will be able to raise in order to invest in games. This means more games, better games, and a better chance developers can innovate and take risks. I really hope these short supplies break open soon.

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