Despite shortages in supply that frame its launch badly, the Sony PlayStation 5 is still one of the most successful gaming console releases in recent memory. And according to multiple reports, the sales numbers don’t lie.
(Photo : Getty Images)
Living room with a Sony PlayStation 5 home video game console alongside a television, taken on Novemebr 3, 2020. (Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Entrepreneur reports that since its release last November 12th, the PS5 has already sold 7.8 million units. Aside from that, Sony is also still shipping a lot of PS4 consoles (5.7 million units), and they’re proud of their 109 million monthly active users on the PS Network in the past three months.
Sony’s latest financial reports also reveal that aside from nearly breaking 8 million units sold in half a year, the PS5 also shipped an insane 3.3 million consoles from January to March, according to Engadget. These numbers are almost unprecedented, and it’s mainly due to the world’s current situation.
Read also: PS5 May Restock: Availability On Argos Gets Twice As Much As Last Time-Where To Buy?
Supply and Demand Woes During the Pandemic
But what exactly is driving the numbers for Sony’s fastest-selling console to date? Everybody already knows about the seriously powerful hardware in the PS5, so we’re going to skip that and move to the most obvious reason: the pandemic.
COVID-19 left millions upon millions of people stuck at home. Aside from work, they’ll need another thing to keep them sane while in quarantine. And where do 2.8 billion gamers (according to Finances Online) turn to? Gaming systems. The Sony PlayStation 5 was on the horizon, and fans were willing to do anything to get it. Demand rose to astronomical levels as a result.
(Photo : Getty Images)
Smiling father and son playing video game while sitting on sofa at home – stock photo
Upon launch, the Sony PlayStation 5 was an extremely hot commodity. Stocks were selling out in mere minutes, sometimes even seconds. Many people blame the likes of scalpers who are artificially jacking up prices, but what can they do? That’s the basic principle of supply and demand, and Sony obviously didn’t prepare for it. Even now at six months post-launch, the PS5 is still almost impossible to find that restock updates are common all over the web.
The only way for people to get it now is to buy from resellers, who were snagging Sony PlayStation 5 stocks left and right to sell at inflated prices. Consoles are priced at double, triple, and even quadruple the MSRP at times-that’s how high the demand is. And it’s only going to increase, unless Sony manages to shore up stocks in time.
Sony PlayStation Holy Trinity Might See a Replacement Member
The Sony PlayStation line has had massive sales success over the years, and that’s no question. Sales numbers posted on the Sony Interactive Entertainment website reveal that three consoles basically compose their “Holy Trinity” in terms of units sold: the PS2, PS4, and the original PlayStation.
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Portrait of a Sony PlayStation video game console photographed on a white background, taken on August 2, 2013. (Photo by Jesse Wild/Edge Magazine/Future via Getty Images)
PlayStation 2 sold the most of the three at 155 million units, making it Sony’s (and the world’s) best-selling system of all time. The PS4 comes in second at almost 116 million, and the PS1 at 102 million. But what’s interesting about these is that these are where sales figures stand years upon years after the consoles were launched. PS1 sales didn’t reach that until 18 years after it released, for instance. On the other hand, PS4 took 8 years to gain second place.
And with how fast Sony is selling out the PS5 at every turn, it’s definitely going to overtake the original PlayStation in just a few years.
Related: Sony PlayStation Fans, Rejoice! Developers Love Making Games For The PS5-It’s A Bright Future Ahead For Next-Gen Gaming
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Written by RJ Pierce
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