THE global PlayStation 5 shortage is likely to continue until next year, leaving frustrated gamers unable to get their hands on a new console for months to come, according to one expert.
Sony’s machine has been largely out of stock since November and probably won’t be available any time soon due to a shortfall in supply of microchips.
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Those chips power everything from mobile phones to the computer systems in modern cars – as well as next-gen games consoles.
Speaking to TechRadar on Sunday, analyst Anshel Sag suggested that as a result of the chip crisis, PS5 shortages will drag on for months to come.
“I honestly don’t see this shortage getting better until next year,” said Sag, a Senior Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
He added that Sony is competing with PC manufacturers as well as phone-makers such as Apple for scarce components.
This sky-high demand from multiple big companies is making it difficult to ramp up production of the console.
“A big component of these console shortages is the fact that these consoles’ CPU and GPU are manufactured on the same process node as AMD’s rapidly growing CPU and GPU businesses for PCs,” Sag added.
“With Qualcomm and Apple taking up vast swaths of 5nm, there isn’t very much capacity left for vast jumps in demand even with process node optimizations.”
Demand for chips has been through the roof since last year, and suppliers can’t keep pace.
Prices of chips are rising as a result, and major manufacturers like Apple and Samsung are being prioritised.
It’s thought that the rising demand for chips is a result of Covid-19 lockdowns, which have caused lengthy factory shutdowns at chip manufacturers and led to a rising consumer interest in gadgetry.
Speaking earlier this year, one expert described the tech industry’s microchip woes as a full-blown crisis.
“Chips are everything,” said Neil Campling, speaking to The Guardian in March.
“There’s a perfect storm of supply and demand factors going on here.
“But basically, there is a new level of demand that can’t be kept up with.
Some experts have predicted that the shortage will continue until at least 2022.
Sony released the PlayStation 5 worldwide in November 2020.
