Sony will continue to make PS4 due to limited PS5 supply

(Photo: Omid Armin / Unsplash)The PlayStation 4 has narrowly avoided the chopping block, for now.

The beloved last-gen console was originally slated to be quietly put to bed as the PlayStation 5 took over. But thanks to the global chip shortage and its throttling on the production of the PS5 (among others), the PS4 has been given an unexpected bonus time on the assembly line.

Sources for Bloomberg say Sony announced the decision to its assembly partners late last year. Assembly of the PS4 was originally scheduled to be completed in late 2021, although those plans were never made public. Because the PS4 uses older chips which face less demand, Sony is able to continue producing it, hoping it will somewhat quench the public’s thirst for consoles capable of handling popular PlayStation titles. . Sony aims to produce one million PS4 units this year.

The new PS5 has been notoriously difficult to find since its debut in November 2020. If the current demand for hardware in the pandemic era weren’t enough (and it is), scalpers have made it even harder to secure a PS5 without paying sketchy eBay users almost twice as much as the MSRP. Sony latest noted he expected PS5 shortages to continue through 2022, but that was in May, and we’re now seven months deeper into a semiconductor shortage which shows no signs of letting up any time soon.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also thrown a wrench or two in software development programs, preventing studios in the industry from producing quality games at rates they otherwise would have liked. More than a year has passed since the PS5 hit the market, and it could always be argued that the console hasn’t made any exclusive title a staple.

With over 116 million units sold since its launch in 2013, many believe the PS4 is far from end of life. “It’s one of the best-selling consoles of all time and there is always a cross between the generations,” Sony told Bloomberg. The old console still provides Sony’s gaming division with decent support given its subscription and software sales. The PS4 might not have the same processing and graphics power as the PS5, but it’s affordable and continues to offer a pretty solid user interface. In addition, you can find it on the shelves of stores.

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