If you or a loved one has been struggling to find a PlayStation 5 since its launch in 2020, Sony says the box should be easier to find in your store of choice in 2023.
Sony Interactive Entertainment President Jim Ryan said during the company’s Consumer Electronics Presentation last night that “everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward.” (shoutout to The Verge) You heard it here, folks, the shortage is over, according to Sony, at least. At the end of last year, Kotaku looked into the status of PS5 (and Xbox Series X) availability, and found the systems were, at least marginally, more available than they were after launch. So some tangible progress has been made since 2020. Back in December, Sony said it had resolved supply issues in Asian territories, but here in January, it claims to have overcome this worldwide.
Despite this, the tech industry is dealing with semiconductor shortages that have made manufacturing devices like the PS5 much more difficult, and some estimate this shortage will last well into 2023 (and possibly 2024). So just how available the console will be in the coming months remains to be seen.
As of this writing, scalpers are still selling PlayStation 5 consoles at inflated prices on sites like eBay, though they’re much closer to the system’s shelf price of $499. If Sony can make good on its promise that the shortage is over, hopefully the console is more widely available in 2023 and at its typical asking price.
Regardless of the supply issues, the PlayStation 5 has still managed to sell pretty well, as Sony also announced at its CES conference that the console has surpassed 30 million units sold since its launch in 2020.