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Sony is apparently increasing its production of PS5s from 5 to 6 million units to 10 million units by the end of this year.
Mass production of the console began in June, and the latest reports claim that the company “expects to assemble 5 million units by the end of September and another 5 million between October and December.” What’s happened for Sony to enact such a sudden and sharp change? It wants to capitalise on the “prolonged effects of the COVID-19 pandemic boosting demand for gaming.”
Earlier this year, Microsoft and Sony moderated the Xbox Live and PlayStation Network services to account for the boom in online gaming as a result of the pandemic. Though lockdowns are lifting in a number of countries around the world, the fear of a second wave of infections aligning with the flu season will encourage people to stay at home as much as possible. The economic impact of the pandemic has been astronomical, and delayed shipments from China have significantly affected the video game industry. According to these recent reports, Sony expects that not all 10 million consoles will be available for purchase in 2020, as a “large proportion of Sony’s consoles are made in China and sent out via sea around the world.”
Moreover, production of the DualSense controller is said to have increased, though it’s not known by how much. Sony was originally targeting 10 million units for the DualSense. At the moment, the report is unconfirmed, so we’ll have to take this with a pinch of salt. However, it is interesting that one of the industry titans is adapting to the pandemic’s impact and working with it as a baseline for the success of its new console. We’ll keep you in the loop once we know more.
