The PS5 might be selling pretty well lately, but it still failed to meet Sony's expectations for it as we move on into mid-2022.
A Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, taken on October 29, 2020.
In a recent earnings call, the tech giant revealed that they've shipped a total of 19.3 million PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide to date, with an extra 2 million units shipped during the last financial quarter, reports Eurogamer. This number alone is impressive in itself, until you learn that it fell 3.3 million consoles short of Sony's expectations.
They initially hoped to ship almost 15 million units for the past financial year. The time period covers the last 12 months leading up to March 31st of this year. According to the company, this number was their benchmark because it was the amount of PS4 units that they managed to sell at the same point during its life cycle.
You can read the entire financial report from Sony if you'd like to take a look. But all in all, they hoped that their current-gen game console would sell more than it did - though the reasons for it failing to meet expectations were quite obvious.
Even if you could go on sites like eBay and find a PlayStation 5 for sale there, that listing is from a scalper and not indicative that the console is available almost anywhere else. Supply issues still plague the console's sales and has likely kept it from reaching its full business potential according to Sony's demands.
Read also: PS5, Xbox Series X/Series S Supplies Should Improve In Late 2022, Says Turtle Beach CEO
Why Did This Happen?
One of the main reasons for the supply issues is the still-ongoing global chip shortage. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has sounded the alarm yet again, saying that it is now the machines that make the chips found in gaming consoles and other electronics that are feeling the brunt (via CNBC). His initial projection is that the shortage will now last until as far as 2024.
Despite these problems, however, Sony holds out hope that things are going to be better for the next few months. They expect to ship 18 million more units for the current financial year, hoping to match the performance of their game sales. PS4 and PS5 game sales are up with 14.5 million games sold during the last financial quarter.
Of course, those games will need consoles for them to be played on.
Here is the latest report that you need to know about the potential PS5 restock in the region.
Xbox Takes Advantage
While the PlayStation 5 and Sony faltered, Microsoft took advantage.
Recently, it was reported that hardware sales for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S reached record-high numbers in terms of dollar sales for both March 2022 and during the first quarter of this year. All in all, Mat Piscatella of the analytics firm NPD says this level of success for Microsoft hasn't been seen since the Xbox 360 era.
Aside from that, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also claimed that the Series X and Series S have "taken share globally" in the console market during the last two financial quarters (via Eurogamer).
Living room with a Microsoft Xbox Series X home video game console alongside a television and soundbar, taken on October 9, 2020.
Related: PS5 Guide: The 5 BEST Hidden Features You Need To Try
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
