Sony cutting back PS5 production, report – UPDATED

Update – Sony has responded to the report, issuing an official statement denying the claim that they have cut PS5 production due to hardware issues.

“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false. We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production.”

Original story continues below.

Sony may be scaling back production of the PlayStation 5 according to a report by Bloomberg.

The company had originally planned to produce 15 million consoles during the launch window up until March of 2021, but has allegedly reduced that down to 11 million units. While details are sketchy, it appears that AMD is having yield issues with the PS5’s SoC, and cannot provide enough quality chips to meet demand.

So what does this mean for the next gen launch? Well, late last month I speculated that Sony may be having production issued based on various circumstantial evidence. Namely a bizarre reservation system that was handing out a limited number of exclusive opportunities to pre-order the console. This report seems to confirm that. What it means is that PS5 consoles will likely be difficult to find this Holiday season. Which will surely make scalpers happy, but not PlayStation fans.

It is worth noting though that 11 million units is still a lot. So unless it absolutely blows the doors off the competition and there’s a run on sales, I don’t think they’re going to sell out that fast. Supplies will likely improve in the New Year for those willing to wait. Which, of course, you should for any new product. There’s little advantage to buying right at launch. Though it does raise the question of delays again, and whether both companies are making the right decision to rush these systems out during a global pandemic and recession.

Interestingly, we haven’t heard much from Microsoft, which is using a similar AMD Ryzen/RDNA2 SoC for their upcoming Series X and Series S consoles. If I had to make an educated guess, it’s due to the GPU. Sony is using fewer compute units than Microsoft, but is driving them at a much higher clock speed. Which I suspect may be causing thermal or stability issues in certain batches of chips. As anyone familiar with PC overclocking can attest to.

In other PlayStation news, the scuttlebutt around the internet today is that Sony might price the PS5 at $449 to undercut the Series X, with a cheaper all-digital version selling for $399. Which I’d say is a smart move, and again allays fears of huge price increases for the 9th gen. However, unit shortages will certainly inflate prices on the grey market. So don’t go buying them off eBay.

Sony is set to unveil more information about the PS5 in an event scheduled for September 14th. Official pricing and release date are expected to be revealed at that time.