The PS5 shortage is a well-known problem by all, since it is practically present since the launch occurred of that console, back in November 2020. Since then, Sony has tried to improve production to offer a higher level of stock, but the situation of the supply chain, the shortage of semiconductors, high demand and resale gave shape to “The perfect storm” so that its availability is practically nil.
I imagine that all of you will agree with me on this issue, but if anyone has any questions, I invite you to try to buy a PS5 right now, in any store. Yes, it is impossible, and this not only It does not seem that it will change in the short or medium termBut it also paints a reality that Sony has been evaluating and analyzing for some time to find possible solutions.
There is no doubt that the ideal solution to the PS5 shortage would be to produce more consoles, even if this meant paying more money for the components necessary to make them, but it is that not even this option is viable since, according to what they tell us from Bloomberg, a good part of the existing production of chips, and other key components for the manufacture of PS5, are already exhausted.
It is clear that there is no money that can pay for something that does not exist, and that in this situation Sony can only wait for new shipments of chips and other components to be offered. With this in mind, it’s easy to think that the PS5 shortage will probably not begin to be resolved. until the end of this year, and with good luck.
PS4 will help Sony cope with the PS5 shortage, but is it good for the user?
Sony did not specify at any time when it was going to stop producing its PS4 console, but sources close to the company say that the Japanese giant wanted to make a rapid transition to the new generation, and that the end of PS4 production it was going to take place in December of this year, something that, in the end, will not happen.
To make up for the PS5 shortage, Sony will continue to manufacture PS4 throughout 2022. In total, the Japanese company is expected to produce around a million units of said console. So far everything is clear, but what is the point of continuing to produce a console that is on its way to turning nine years old? The truth is that it is very easy to explain, for Sony it represents the opportunity to give the consumer an alternative to PS5, and to keep it within the PlayStation ecosystem, both at the level of games and services.
Indeed, PS4 is emerging as an economic alternative that would also help the user to overcome this period of PS5 shortage, but the truth is that, with Xbox Series S on the market and at such a competitive price, I think that deep down it does not have too much sense. I am sincere, and I speak with knowledge of the facts, since I have a PS4 That has given me hours and hours of fun, and in fact I have reconnected it to finish The Last of Us Part II, one of the exclusives that I had pending.
Buy, at this point, a PS4 at its normal price not a good investment. It is true that it has an impressive catalog of games, and that it will still have, at least, between one and two years of life, but even with the PS5 shortage expected for almost all of 2022 I think it is more profitable to follow one of these options: buy an Xbox Series S, look for a cheap PS4 on the second-hand market, or wait, outright, for PS5 availability to improve.
