Sony’s done a reasonable job of replenishing PlayStation 5 stock specifically in the UK this year, but April was a barren month for the next-gen console in Britain. In fact, so bad was the supply that the Japanese giant’s new system was actually outsold by its predecessor. Now obviously the PS4 is still a brilliant box with an enormous software library and significant life ahead of it, but this is a reminder of just how bad the supply situation is right now.
There is a new batch of PS5 stock scheduled to arrive on European shores this month, so we’re sure the system will see a subsequent uptick in sales once those units arrive. Fortunately, things are a lot rosier for the format when taking other data into account: Returnal was the eighth best-selling title of the month with digital data included – despite the game launching on 30th April. Similarly, accessories like the DualSense and Pulse 3D Wireless Headset continue to sell extraordinarily well.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 41
Bats eyelashes at my PS5
Though, to be fair, almost everything I've played has been on PS4 too - or is an outright PS4 game played through BC. That said, they often play so much better on PS5. Like right now, playing Mass Effect LE on "graphics mode" as it also runs at 60fps.
I check every now and then and have rarely seen it in stock in the UK. I am not desperate for one at the moment, but I think if I do find it in stock I'll pull the trigger because it could get even harder to find when Ratchet drops.
From the linked to article:
"and in fact PS4 was April's best-selling PlayStation machine."
Assuming that's the Slim, not the Pro, but I suppose it could be both combined? Anybody know what the PS4 console situation in the UK?
I’m so glad I got my PS5 and SX right away.
@rjejr Just the slim, the pro is not longer sold at major outlets in the UK now
Maybe there's an obvious reason for this that I'm overlooking, but if the chip shortage is the main hurdle in getting more PS5's out there, I don't understand why they're still making 4's.
@LordSteev
They’ve probably built up a “nest egg” stock of components.
That’s not uncommon in the later years of a consoles life. Production remains high at first and then sales start to drop. They’ve probably got a lot of the individual chips available in storage.
@LordSteev if I had to guess, I'd say it's because of the fact that older chips are quicker and cheaper to produce than the newer ones, or they have some leftover components.
I follow a couple of PS5 stock alerts accounts on Twitter (which helped me to get one) and they were pretty quiet in April so there probably was hardly any stock. More just arrived in the past week, Argos and GAME got some (nephew got one from his local Argos). You probably need to be following these guys to get a chance because you won't be able to casually log on and hope to find one without paying a ridiculous price for a long while yet.
@TheRedComet
@HotGoomba
That makes good sense. I can't imagine they'd be ordering any new chips for PS4, so they must have had a pretty decent stockpile of them on hand. Makes sense to make with what you've got.
This remind me I need pulse 3D headset for ps5, my current headphone is great for music but not too good for action games.
@Darylb88 Thank you. I'd assumed that was the case, Japan seems to have forgotten the Pro as well, but the article didn't say.
Still seems odd a company goes to all that trouble to make a better system, promoting checkerboard and all of that, then says, oh we aren't selling that one any more, please buy the obsolete model. Though Sony did give us the PSPgo, that's forgotten too.
My wife is currently trying to help my mate get his hands on a ps5..he is trying and she is also watching every drop in the hope of landing one..i have 5 ps5 games(godfall,fenyx rising,wreckfest,the avengers and mortal shell) but i am playing more ps4 games via bc because its just awesome..my wife has inherited my ps4 and watching her play gta 5 has me worried everytime we get in the car..she is not right..
I wonder if the console shortage in 2021 will mean that certain games will be delayed (looking at God Of War) to wait until there’s a player base for it to sell lots of copies? Ratchet and Clank looks like a true next gen game, but it will only sell in ratio to how many players there are.
I have not though to moving onto the new generation, and won't until later this year at the earliest. But this must be a long wait for those wanting to do so now.
@rjejr Yes, it's just the Slim 500Gb. Not seen a new Pro on sale for ages - I assume the last units were snapped up when Sony announced they were stopping making them?
Weird also how the PS4 Slim prices have rocketed up to about £260 for a 500Gb unit on its own.
Even the used prices are sky high, with CEX selling boxed used Slim PS4s (2 year warranty, mind) for about £230!
I'm perfect happy with my new Xbox. See what you made me do, PS5?!
Oblivious moms and dads buying their kids the “new” playstation which, of course will turn out to be just a PS4. Wouldn’t wanna be that kid
@MrGawain there has already been 8 millions units sold, more than the PS4 in the same timeframe, R&C will do just fine saleswise and God Of War would do the same. (It has probably been delayed to 2022 anyway)
They are still selling the Pro, they've just repackaged it in an ugly white case...
I wonder if the new pandemic gamers will keep it up after lockdown or will they get back to playing squash and swinging?
@Northern_munkey Fair play to your misses, I wish mine enjoyed gaming but she has no interest....sigh
I wonder how many PS5's were onboard that massive cargo ship that bunged up the Suez canal in March.
They really should dig another one, that canal is so old and I'm pretty sure Egypt makes quite a lot of money out of it.
I still can't believe I managed to snag one on release, and from Amazon.
I'm usually not that lucky.
@chris730920 Same here mate.
You can tell when there's been PS5 stock because Miles Morales enters the top 10 UK chart that gets posted on this site weekly. Last time that happened was for the week ending March 20th.
Returnal debuting in 2nd was about existing PS5 owners, not new ones.
Luckily I grabbed one in December. Never would have imagined stock issues would be still an issue 6 months after launch.
My mate managed to grab one from Argos last week, but he had a stock informer app and works nights so managed to grab one during his break.
I imagine it's much more difficult for your average joe working 9-5.
@KevinDS88 happened with kids wanting the xbsx they got xb one x instead hahaha. Imagine the disappointment
@sanderson72 Those PS4 Slim prices do seem high, but my head gets broken by sales. Like once the PS4 was on sale at Christmas for $199 a few years ago now I've just always considered the PS4 Slim to be $199. I think technically it's been $299, maybe $249, but it's been readily available around the holidays for $199 for at least 3 years now.
https://theplaystationbrahs.com/2018/10/30/walmart-com-leaks-199-ps4-slim-marvels-spider-man-bundle/
I wonder if no pandemic if we would have gotten a cheaper PS4 Super Slim or PS4 Pro in a Slim body for $199 by now? But we didn't. But Id' say anything over $199 for a Slim in 2021 is highway robbery. So like 150 in the UK. Ouch. Guess Sony is blaming Brexit AND the pandemic over there.
@chris730920 to be honest i think that its more a way of "release" for her as we are not allowed to kill people in real life..she is very creative in her little murder sprees..
@rjejr Don't think it can be attributed to Brexit (one of the few things that can't, IMO), I think it's more likely that retailers are profiteering because they can as gaming has gone through the roof over the last 12 months due to people wanting something to do in lock down.
It was funny when on here people were complaining about the lack of PS5s and when I checked, the PS4s and DualShock 4s were like gold dust too. GAME had a slim available for £199 not that long ago but try and find one for that price now?
I hope we don't get a Super Slim PS4 if it would be anything like as nasty & cheap (in the wrong way) as the PS3 Super Slim.
Personally, I still love my surprisingly quiet Pro with a Crucial SSD inside so I'm content to wait until the PS5 has some must have titles exclusively to it.
I only time I saw one online for sale was when I got one the next day they showed the console for the first time on the Internet and the next second is was sold out. So I was VERY lucky to get one. Bit nervous tho with this news because if my PS5 dies then I doubt I could find one easily
@Northern_munkey Are you sure that's what your wife is doing?
@Starkei she is a woman...who really knows?
@sanderson72 Well I didn't mean a PS4 Super Slim now, I meant last summer. I assumed Sony didn't want 4 consoles on sale at 1 time - Slim, Pro, 5, 5DOE - so they would combine the Pro innards w/ the Slim shell for $249. It didn't make sense really to dump either one, Slim was the bargain, Pro made Slim obsolete tech, so a new model seemed the logical way to go.
But it's way too late now. All focus on PS5. Though it still seems weird with Horizon FW also coming to PS4 they wouldn't rather have the Pro power, checkerboard to show it off.
I bet all trailers for the PS4 version will be on the Pro anyway, even though they no longer sell it, b/c it wouldn't be a business w/o doing something a bit underhanded.
Also, I own a PS3 Super Slim, bought it for my bedroom as a multimedia streaming device - which I know looks ridiculous now, but I did a lot of research and back then it made sense - and it is a cheap plastic piece of junk. So no, not that, just wanted Pro power in a small body for a lower price. But instead they abandon and forget it like the PSPgo.
@rjejr I think Sony view the PS5 as being the PS4 Pro so if you want the 4K experience, you have to stump up £450 if you want to make use of your PS4 discs.
Perhaps the Pro was too expensive compared to the PS5 DOE (I got mine for £299 about 3 years ago) but I agree that a cheaper Pro COULD have been made but Sony wouldn't want to do that as such a creature could damage PS5 sales in the short term at least. Imagine a 4K Playstation for £250 with all the big titles still coming out on it bar a tiny number of PS5 exclusives?
If the PS3 Super Slim does what you want it to do, then don't feel bad about it, especially if you're not using the disc drive (see later). Personally, I bought one after my 60Gb PS3 died after 5 years and immediately regretted it. The flimsy disc drive was so tacky and noisy that I sold it & managed to track down a 2503 Slim unit which is still working quietly to this day and it feels so much more a quality product.
@sanderson72 Maybe Sony needed to make a PS4 Pro DOE for $249 like MS did w/ X1SAD before the PS5 came. Promote PS+ and PS Now w/ it. Too late now though, they really need to focus on making more PS5, either edition.
@rjejr True - hopefully we might get a slimmer/shorter/smaller version in the next year or so and in a few more colours to go with the new controllers.
@sanderson72 "slimmer/shorter/smaller"
That would make sense as the "cheap" PS5 is $400 and they don't have a cheap handheld anymore so they really need something for the kids & family in the $200 range for a couple of years until we get a cheaper PS5 Slim. Then Sony can market it as "New PS5, making a molehill out of a mountain".😁
Funny how when PS3 came out at $500 and $600 gamers lost their collective minds and Sony wanted us to get a 2nd job but $400 and $500 people are like GIVE ME ONE NOW!!!!!
https://www.engadget.com/2005-07-06-sony-wants-you-to-earn-that-playstation-3.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJJI4K3KrcJLzqnyIZ8CC_ErCy_hFS2GBL3JyqNoCAN1FMxTasQVV3IyFYLgKlr4iWQEEh5hb0g2rdp7GwKMhJhgaP-qMWe-bWhSvl-nZ2VEIPK3K3n8beUU-CPL_soUqWk3K3eB30CWgnIQUDVCbFCNpHjDK8XjyWI69QJNOx3T
Oh, and if you meant get a slimmer/shorter/smaller version of the PS5, well then never mind. PS4 ain't dead yet though. But they should have killed the Slim, not the Pro, if they can't make enough PS5.
@rjejr Yeah, I was referring to a slimmer/shorter/smaller PS5.
That price point is the reason that the PS4 is still flying off the shelves as all the games that families want are still being produced for the 4. And it also plays DVDs and blu-ray movies, unlike the PS5DOE.
Wouldn't be surprised if the PS5 comes down by £50 once this current stock situation dies down and the PS5DOE becomes the PS5DOA.
@sanderson72 "Wouldn't be surprised if the PS5 comes down by £50 and the PS5DOE becomes the PS5DOA."
While I appreciate the joke, Sony needs the DOE to come down $100 to $300 before they even begin to think about replacing the PS4. I'm sure Sony would rather sell PS5s than PS4s, looks better for their Xbox rivalry. Having a $450 PS5 doesn't really help anyone looking for a $200 or even $300 console. Of course since nobody can buy either one, price reduction is far down the road. May not even see any discounts for Black Friday. I think PS4 Pro was always $400 as Sony discounted the PS4 Slim every holiday to $199. Holiday is still 6 months away, but Sony has said 2022 before stock supply gets better. Retailers may be happy to just have consoles IN STORE rather than online for the holidays. Who knows, we may even get a Switch Pro by then. 🤷♂️
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