PS5: Sony Denies Launch Supply Of Consoles Has Been Reduced

Update: Sony has denied Bloomberg's report, claiming there have been no changes to its production plans for its next-generation PlayStation 5 console.

"While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false," a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz reads. "We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production."

The latter half of that statement suggests there could have been changes to plans before mass production began, but it seems that nothing during that process prompted to Sony to scale back its expectations.

Whatever the case, PS5 is expected to be in heavy demand both at launch and beyond, so preordering will be critical if you're eager to get your hands on one in the near future. Sony's PS5 showcase event on September 16 may deliver the long-awaited price and release date for the console, but as of this writing, Sony hasn't confirmed whether or not it will share those details on Wednesday. The original story follows.

A new report from Bloomberg has shed some light on changes Sony is reportedly making to the production of the PlayStation 5 this year. The site states that Sony is cutting production by 4 million units due to issues related to the components--specifically the SoC (system on a chip).

Sony was reportedly originally planning to make 15 million PS5 consoles available around the world by March 31, 2021, but that has been reduced to 11 million.

Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad clarified on Twitter that production yield issues like this are normal and expected for new console launches, but he noted that "this does seem more severe than expected."

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said on Twitter that he's assuming 3.5 million PS5 consoles will be allocated for the US at launch, which puts it above or close to the PS4 launch window volume. Piscatella said the bigger story is how bold Sony's original plans were.

In other PS5 news, it was recently reported that Sony would be making the costly decision to speed up shipments to the US by flying them on airplanes instead of by sea.

Sony is hosting another digital showcase this week on September 16, which might finally disclose both the PS5's price and release date. Currently we know that the company is preparing two versions of its console, one with a disc drive and one without. This is different to Microsoft's strategy, with the Xbox Series S not only removing the disc drive but also shipping with less powerful components for a drastically reduced price of $300.