Sony says PS5 no longer has stock issues

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says that stock issues that have plagued the PlayStation 5 for the past two years are a thing of the past.

After almost two years of scarce stock due to a global computer chip shortage, Sony now says that PlayStation 5 stock issues are a thing of the past.

At a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said that PS5 consoles should be relatively easy for players to get their hands on going forward. Ryan said that his team “managed unprecedented demand amid global challenges over the past two years”.

“Everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward,” Ryan said. It follows reports that PS5 stock is no longer restricted in Asia, where consoles have been difficult to procure for quite some time.

The PlayStation 5 launched in November 2020, and sold out long before the console’s launch through pre-orders at retailers. In the years since, stock has become sporadically available, with tight restrictions on orders at most retailers.

Many JB Hi-Fi and EB Games have PS5 stock available for customers to walk in and purchase. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

At the time of writing, Australia’s two biggest games retailers, JB Hi-Fi and EB Games, both have PlayStation 5 consoles readily available online, and stock has been available in many physical stores since late-December. Amazon Australia also has stock for both variants of the PS5.

The shortages over the last two years have primarily been the result of a global computer chip shortage that has affected a wide range of industries outside of gaming, including cars and other vehicles and smartphones.

Microsoft’s flagship console, the Xbox Series X, has had similar stock issues since its release, but those issues have been offset slightly by a lower demand and the offering of a lower-cost version of the console, the Xbox Series S.

While the PlayStation 5 has had stock issues for over two years, it’s still become very popular, selling over 30 million units. Picture: Sony

While stock does largely seem to be available now, some retailers have been selling the consoles through bundles, such as the PS5 God of War Ragnarok bundle, which includes a digital copy of the game alongside the console. While this does provide extra value, it also comes at a cost, and in many cases players can find better deals by buying the console and the game separately.

Sony announced late last year that PS5s would be getting more expensive, due to concerns around economic inflation and fears of recession. Both variants of the console, the disc version and the all-digital version, received a price increase of $50 in Australia, and similar price increases were seen in almost all regions except for the USA.

Microsoft also announced that Xbox games are getting more expensive going forward, with first-party Xbox Series games increasing in price.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.