Sony had earlier announced a holiday 2020 launch window for its upcoming PlayStation 5 console, a schedule the company said it is still sticking to. Sony though admitted the PS5 development did take a hit to some extent owing to the coronavirus outbreak that has led to lockdown in most parts of the world and travel restrictions imposed.
Sony, while making the revelation during its earnings report however said there might be fewer units of the PS5 console available to buy initially. That would mean, lesser number of the new gen console that would be available initially even if it hits store shelves during the holiday season.
The Japanese giant said the challenges they faced during the PS5 development phase include employees who are forced to work from home. Travel curbs further added to their woes as that hampered the testing phase of the console. Some pre-production work too has taken a hit though all of those seem to have been taken care of well enough to allow for timely launch of the console.
However, the company did state production of the current PS4 did got hit to some extent though currently inventory levels helped absorb the demand. Overall it is a 14 percent drop in PS4 sales that the company is having to deal with compared to the previous year.
That said, game sales have increased which can be attributed to more people staying indoors. Similarly, there has been an increase in PS Plus and PlayStation Now subscription as well, which the company is claiming to be a positive fallout of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Rumors earlier had claimed Sony will be holding an event in June to launch the design of the new gen console which will succeed the PS4. Worth mentioning, Microsoft also is working on its new XBox Series X which too is set for a launch in the forthcoming holiday season even though it had to endure similar challenges to complete the console’s development work.
