In its latest financial report, Sony announces that 3.9 million PlayStation 5s were distributed worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2021, slightly better than the 3.3 million in the previous quarter, but not enough to confirm that the brand is still struggling to meet demand due to the global shortage of components.
PS5 sales lower than PS4, component shortages involved
All in all, 17.3 million PS5 have been distributed as of December 31, three million less than the PS4 over the same period at its time. Remember, however, that the electronic component market was healthy during the lifetime of this previous console.
Estimates revised downwards by March 31, 2022
For the 2021 fiscal year (which ends at the end of March 2022), Sony has revised its estimates downwards and expects to reach 11.5 million PS5s distributed instead of 14.8 previously expected. Revenue estimates for the video game section were also reduced by 6%. A sign that the shortages of components and therefore of consoles are likely to continue for a while.
One hope remains, that of an improvement at the level of component manufacturers from the summer of 2022. If this is confirmed, the end of the year could be bright for Sony and the PlayStation 5.
