Both Microsoft and Sony has several times said that there will not be any delays for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 because of the coronavirus pandemic. But this doesn't mean the upcoming consoles won't be affected by the ongoing crisis, and now Bloomberg reports, after talking to sources within Sony, that the company already has plans to limit the production of PlayStation 5 consoles for a full year.
However, the coronavirus isn't the only thing to blame. The report points out that the console likely will be very costly and that Sony is struggling with the price tag. Therefore, they are planning on limiting PlayStation 5 production and will only make 5-6 million units until the end of March 2021. In comparison, PlayStation 4 sold 7.5 million in that same period of time.
According to the article, developers expect the console to be priced between $499-$549, and Bloomberg Intelligence's Matthew Kanterman adds that rare components are pushing the price up for Sony, making it harder to reach break-even. Instead, people familiar with Sony's plans claim that the plan is to use PlayStation 4 as a bridge to the Playstation eco-system instead, while the supply of Playstation 5 is limited for the first year.
If everything goes as planned, which Bloomberg's sources say can change, PlayStation 5 is expected to enter full production in June. There have however been several delays already in the planning (both business and promotional plans) because of the pandemic, which supposedly is the reason behind the rushed introduction of the PlayStation 5 controller the other week, where Sony feared leaks after it was shipped to developers.
Bloomberg ends the article by stating that we still shouldn't fear a delay of the console unless Microsoft does it as well with Xbox Series X, and the plans are still for a full global launch.