Despite releasing in November 2020, Sony's PS5 is still hard to come by for consumers everywhere due to ongoing issues in the global supply chain and chip shortage. Now, Sony aims to counter the shallow supply of its next-gen console by making more PS4s.
An extra one million PS4 consoles will come hot off the production line in 2022 in order to keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg.
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While it will temporarily fill the gaping supply hole left by the PS5 shortage, Sony's predecessor is also simpler to make and is an inexpensive alternative for gamers looking to play the latest PlayStation exclusives. This includes the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West, indie hit Kena: Bridge of Spirits and more of the best PS5 games around. Plus (no pun intended), PlayStation Plus continues to deliver great PS4 and backward-compatible PS5 titles, with January's list including Person 5 Strikers, Deep Rock Galatic and Dirt 5.
According to the report, Sony was planning to discontinue the development of its previous-gen console by the end of 2021, with PlayStation Chief Jim Ryan stating the aim for gamers to make a quick transition to PS5 (via gamesindustry.biz). Thanks to the semiconductor shortage, scalpers, and the pandemic, this didn't go to plan.
However, Sony never officially stated it was ending production of its PS4. A Sony spokesperson stated: “It is one of the best-selling consoles ever and there is always crossover between generations.” The PS4 has sold over 100 million units ever since it launched back in 2013, and continues to sell despite the PS5 being released.
While the struggle to nab a PS5 is likely to continue throughout 2022, at least we're getting a slew of new PS5 and DualSense controller color options — some are available to pre-order right now.
