PlayStation will now produce twice as many PS5s before the end of the current financial year than was first planned, but that still might not be enough.

The arrival of the PlayStation 5 is fast approaching. The vague release date of “Fall 2020” remains in place which probably points to the next-gen console landing some time in October, November at the very latest. Despite other projects and products in every walk of life getting delayed due to the ongoing global pandemic, Sony insists the PS5 will arrive on time.

There have been problems, though. Problems that might lead to the PS5’s launch not going as well as Sony would have hoped. Previous reports have suggested that due to a lack of essential components, PlayStation would be limited to producing between five and six million units between now and March 2021. In turn, that would bump up the potential price of the console.

Well, according to Bloomberg, plans have changed, and they have changed drastically. It is now believed that Sony has ordered PlayStation to produce 10 million units in that same time period. That’s right, twice as many as originally planned. The aim is now for five million units to be ready to go by the end of September 2020, and then an additional five million units will be produced between October 2020 and the end of March 2021.

Despite the prospect of twice as many consoles, COVID-19 might mean supply will still not be able to meet demand. As the first batches of that second five million are produced, they still need to be shipped from China to every corner of the world. That takes time, especially when those shipments have to travel all the way from China to far-off places like the US and the UK.

Gamers in those countries might have a wait on their hands for a PS5 as it’s estimated that replacement PS5s following that first wave won’t arrive until early 2021. Sony transported PS4s via air travel in 2013, but in 2020, that’s where the COVID-19 issues come in. Flights are few and far between right now. That will likely still be the case at the end of 2020, which means PS5s will have to travel slowly by sea, and not quickly by air.

Source: Bloomberg