Sony’s CES 2023 press conference brought some interesting announcements and updates. However, a couple of notable comments came regarding the company’s flagship console, the PS5. Essentially, it’s done some pretty impressive numbers in terms of sales figures, and prospective buyers shouldn’t be as concerned as they have been about supply issues.
Speaking during the conference, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO revealed that issues around the availability of the PS5 should now be more or less resolved. Ever since the console first launched back in 2020 there have been difficulties with supply and demand. Customers across the world had reported difficulties when sourcing and trying to purchase a PS5, with a number of factors such as the pandemic and manufacturing issues due to a lack of component parts causing problems in the console’s supply chain. However, it seems as though Sony is confident that there are more than enough units to go around, and that these should be more easily accessible at various retailers.
According to Ryan, “everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward.” With demand for the console still at a considerable high, we’ll just have to wait and see if this is actually the case.
The PlayStation boss also revealed that December 2022 was the company’s best-ever month for sales of the PS5, with the pre-Christmas purchasing period undoubtedly contributing to those figures. It seems that the PS5 is actually doing better than ever before, which is perhaps also down to this new reported level of availability. In any case, Ryan also took the opportunity to share some impressive stats on the console’s sales during the press conference. Sony is now celebrating a new milestone, as PS5 sales have now passed the 30 million mark across the globe to date.
Two years on from the console’s launch, it’s clear that consumer demand is still high, although retail accessibility is arguably still hit-and-miss in places. When you factor in the price point of the PS5, which last summer underwent a price hike in response to global economic conditions, availability in different parts of the world and affordability may serve to hinder further growth of these sales figures somewhat. Of course, with the upcoming release of the PS VR2 in February, Sony is bound to see renewed success from its flagship product. The headset may help to boost sales of the main console, as it will operate with the state-of-the-art technology that the PS5 offers.
