Over the last six months, it was less a question for the PS5 of holding any record than simply trying to keep up with the pace imposed by the inexhaustible Switch and by the surprising Xbox Series, which manages more and more frequently to outpace the PS5. in a number of markets thanks to better restocking.
With 11.5 million PS5s distributed worldwide between April 2021 and March 2022, Sony is gritting its teeth, but the manufacturer is optimistic for the future. First, as announced during the presentation of its financial results, Sony intends to produce, distribute and certainly sell 18 million PS5 for the new fiscal year. It’s better, but it won’t be enough to match the park that the PS4 had installed at the same stage.
In fact, according to the group’s current projections, the PS5 won’t be able to catch up in its 3rd year either. It would be necessary to wait for the 4th fiscal year of the machine (April 2023 – March 2024) for the PS5 to be freed from its chains and return for good to the trajectory of the PS4. In fact, Sony’s bet is therefore to have sold more than 60 million PS5s by March 2024.
This objective is not based on numbers put forward at random, however it remains subject to unpredictable risk factors. The resurgence of COVID-19 which is starting to paralyze factories in Shanghai, or the impact of Russia on logistics and the potential availability of certain components are some examples of concerns that may arise in the short term.
In the meantime, who knows how to predict from when supply and demand will finally come into harmony. Based on data from three major retailers in the United States, Sony calculated that it only took 82 minutes to sell 80,000 PS5s in the territory, not far from 1,000 consoles sold per minute. At the same stage of its existence and without suffering any shortage, the PS4 needed 9 days to sell the same number of units.