THE PlayStation 5 will be “almost impossible” to get hold of as demand for the console skyrockets in the coming months, according to experts.
An analysis carried out by TechRadar suggests that US and UK retailers will in October see a surge in the number of shoppers looking to buy Sony’s next-gen machine.
- Read the latest stories for PS5
- Keep up-to-date with all the Xbox news
- Read the latest gaming news
That’s due to the fact that millions of parents will want to buy their children a PS5 in the weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday.
Rising demand will be compounded by the arrival of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November.
“In two months’ time, it’s going to become much harder when parents wake up to the fact that they need this console to fulfill their child’s Christmas wish list,” TechRadar wrote.
“Even if Sony were to ramp up the supply of PS5 Disc and PS5 Digital consoles, demand will skyrocket right before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.”
Sony released the PlayStation 5 worldwide in November 2020 and the console has remained sold-out pretty much ever since.
Stocks of the consoles remain low at stores across the globe due to a worldwide shortage of the microchips used to power them.
Retailers have been releasing small batches of stock at a time without warning – and they typically sell out in minutes.
According to one analyst, supplies of the sought-after console aren’t expected to improve until next year at the earliest.
“I honestly don’t see this shortage getting better until next year,” Anshel Sag, Senior Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told TechRadar.
He said that, as a result of the microchip crisis, the PC gaming industry is suffering from the worst GPU shortage he’s seen in his 15-year career.
Sony has released two version of its new console. The full PS5 costs £449/$499, while a Digital Edition without a disc tray is priced at £359/$399.
They’re up against the Xbox Series X (£449) and Xbox Series S (£249), which also hit shelves last November.
The PS5 launched with major exclusive games like Spider-Man Miles Morales and a revamped version of Dark Souls for players to enjoy.
Xbox gamers, on the other hand, have a new Halo title to look forward to later this year.
