If you’re still having trouble finding a PS5 console – and stock has massively improved in recent months, to be fair – then you’ll allegedly have no issues in 2023. A follow-up report from Insider-Gaming – which previously broke news of a slimmer PS5 model with a detachable disc drive – alleges that Sony will ship 30.5 million consoles in its next fiscal year, spanning April 2023 through March 2024. That’d mark a staggering increase on the 18 million units it expects to ship in its current fiscal year.
One way Sony intends to improve stock is with the aforementioned revised model with a detachable disc drive. This will give consumers more flexibility, as they can choose to purchase a console without an UHD Blu-ray slot and still opt to upgrade at a later date. It’ll also make manufacturing easier, with production expected to begin in April 2023 ahead of a September 2023 launch. It’s rumoured that the detachable drive will still slot into the console’s chassis, so while technically a standalone piece of hardware, it’ll look neat and tidy if you do decide to hook it up.
PS5 has got off to a strong start, selling 21.7 million units to date, but there’s a sense that without manufacturing issues and the pandemic, it could have done even better. It does feel like Sony is in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment, desperately waiting for stock to improve before it shares a glimpse of the future for the format. Assuming that’s the case, then 2023 could be a gigantic year.
[source insider-gaming.com]
Comments 45
And it was previously thought that we'd be waiting until 2024 before seeing improvement in stock. The revised models & expected detachable disc drive is putting that prediction to rest.
so 70mil projected end of 23ish, most former ps4 owners, yet sony last week says supporting ps4 games going forward. shouldnt need ps4 versions beyond a year
2023 might actually be the year! Hopefully it’ll be as easy as walking into the store and picking it up from the floor.
Nice to see Sony sorting out the stock issues, need to go all out with games next year then, final fantasy 16 and spiderman 2 will help shift a lot of units
Glad they're finally able to produce hardware after the chip shortage.
Side note: I've mine since launch and next week will be the first new gen exclusive game that I'll have purchased for the hardware... A Plague Tale: Requiem.
@Royalblues it's about power density: as hardware gets faster then even if things don't use any more power, (which often they do) the components consuming that power get smaller, and the main way that power is released its in terms of heat. Transistors get less efficient as they get hotter, and if they get hot enough, degrade, so you need to efficiently get all that heat away from the chips, which is generally done with huge heatsinks and fans. I think something like ⅔ to ¾ of the volume of the launch PS5 is made up by the heatsinks and the fan assembly.
The good news is that technology marches on, and with that, performance per Watt improves, meaning soon enough there will be a processor that can do the same work as the one in the launch PS5 using a lot less energy, at which point it'll need less cooling, and they can make a PS5 slim out of it. If this rumour is accurate then that could be as soon as next year.
The new, more power efficient, chips are likely to require a new fab line though, which means that to maximise capacity Sony are likely to keep producing the full size version for a while until they can meet demand without it, when they'll retire the current versions and only produce the new ones. At that point they might look into a Pro model if it's not yet time for a ps6
The Ps5 really needs a better looking slim model ASAP, Sony generations only ever kick off properly with the slim pro versions
Can you attach the disk drive to the digital condole that's out now?
@bremkat35
I wouldn't count on it as it's a full redesign of the console that the disc drive probably "clicks" into place. That said it connects using USB so you might still be able to technically use the detachable disc drive but it might just look a bit funny hanging off to the side of the console. I could be wrong though. We will just have to see what the design looks like.
That'd be over 50 million by march 2024 right?
Is a good number for a little over 3 years.
Ps5 About to dominate Xbox with 10+ million lead soon 😂.
I do actually think Sony will make a ps5 pro, but just not at the same time as a ps5 slim. When sony originally unveiled the ps5 and the digital version, I did wonder how would they introduce a mid gen slim and pro model because it would be a lot of difference versions with and without a disk drive lol. However with this rumour of a standalone model than can be used as both, then I would imagine a pro model could come after and at that point It would just be the two models. However it is late and I'm tired so probably not making much sense 😴 😂
Will have to wait and see how such a model looks, if it’s true we can just “slot” the drive, but am very skeptical.
This sounds like the “perfect” time for them to do a second price increase by charging a bonkers premium for the attachment in such a way that buying both ends up being a higher price tag than now.
On the other hand, would be nice to be able to easily replace the disk drive when it inevitably goes bad after multiple years of use.
This generation has even started? I still can't get over the fact that the last next gen exclusive I played was Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart in June 2021, like wtf!
It would be nice to get one so I can play Ragnarok
@Tharsman - meh - I bought 2 PS5’s Launch day with disc, I regret that could’ve saved $200 if without disc - I only played a disc game a few times before I was downloading all digital versions. I only have like 10 PS4 games on disc, 400+ PS4digital download on my external HD, And with Playstation Plus Premium - I’ve switched to ALL DIGITAL, games on discs are old news for me. I had records, cassettes, CD, DVD’s before, now it’s all Streaming. I’ll never buy disc again PS5 and beyond.
I think this could mean there is big game reveals coming in 2023. I don't know if the PS5 nowadays would be able to sell all of those consoles. 30million consoles is a lot.
Hopefully the detachable disc drive can be used with PS5's already out. If so, I'd buy one to use with my PS5, so I won't wear out my built in disc drive.
Not interested in a Slim model. Waiting for the PS5 Pro with real 4K60FPS capabilities and proper RT, not just poor reflections RT we’re seeing today.
@Relygon not happening modern gaming pc’s barely doing 4k60fps with proper RT for a lot games let a lone a console lol. I don’t even think a pro is coming this gen.
@Relygon You'll be waiting a long time, that's called PS6 or more. GPUs that handle a stable 4K60FPS with most RT features on cost more than the PS5 alone. And that's even with DLSS which PS5 Pro, it it existed, won't have as it's Nvidia tech.
But even those aren't doing full path tracing on all but the simplest games like Quake and Minecraft. You're a generation too early, at least.
I'm not waiting for stock, I'm waiting for the price to go back down.
@4kgk2 Well, I said proper 4K60FPS but Quality FSR 2.1 will suffice. I can’t tell the difference. My 4090 should come in today or tomorrow, we’ll see if it changes things.
@themightyant Yeah, you’re both right of course. Just wishful thinking on my part!
@JuggaloRazzam Same here ive got a full fat ps5 would happily swap for a digital as ive no ps5 disks and probably never will have.
Its hilarious people talking about Ps5 pro's like its a sure thing, this current gen has only just got off the ground 😄
@Royalblues I can't see things having been affected much. The PS5 is basically a PC built around a Ryzen 4700S with a 6700M GPU sharing RAM. The recent Ryzen 7##0X chips show a fair uptick in performance per Watt and include graphics hardware (although not as powerful) so I could easily see a Ryzen 8300S being about right next year or the year after (likely comes to consoles before it's available to buy on shelves). The issue could be cost, but who really knows?
@4kgk2 Yep, the gap is about to widen.
The day you can walk into any electronics store, gamestop or Walmart and see one sitting on the shelf will be when pigs fly.
@Truegamer79 will phone stores do? I've seen them sitting on shelves at Verizon.
Just hope the revised one will look better than the current melting tub o' lard.
For all the talk of a Pro, there has to be a reason behind it:
PS1: standard def TV
PS2: standard def widescreen TV
PS3: 720p high def TV
PS4: 1080p high def TV
PS4 Pro: 4K TV
PS5: 4K TV
PS5 Pro? Unless the 8k TVs take off (and they aren't) then I can't see the point?
@Milktastrophe
Really? Okay that's not where i would expect to find them. On Amazon they are still 7 or 800 dollars. I thought the suggested retail price was 500 or close to that. One way or the other I'm hoping to find one by Christmas. Even if i have to buy from some scalper online. I'm sick of this seemingly Neverending search.
AT!!! LAST!!! It's been painful watching the lack of stock these last 2 years & thinking of what could of been(not that I get any money off SONY if they sell billions of PS5's) It's just a shame that this might be the last PlayStation console that does sell loads because of what Microsoft is doing :-/ Oh well.
@Relygon Enjoy that power bill.
@get2sammyb
Would you look at doing a article about Sony's new plant in Japan. It is supposed to help with PS5 manufacturing.
Cheers!
@brazzios_84 Ha ha, no joke. But honestly, I wouldn’t buy it in the first place if the power bill was a financial burden for me. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend a high-end PC to anyone if you don’t have money to splurge like me. PS5 is crazy good value. My PC? Not so much.
Still doesn’t solve the problem that the software is skewed towards western studios and there’s a lack of the quirky stuff that made Playstation fun and different for the previous generations.
And I doubt a remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn will help that.
@Uncharted2007
You didn’t play Returnal or Rift Apart??
There’s no need for a Pro version this time around.
I don’t see it happening.
@sanderson72 Probably not one of your interests, but i can see a potential PS5 Pro contributing a lot to the PSVR 2 in a few years time. Just as i bought the PS4 Pro a few years back, to keep up with the best image quality possible on the now aged headset. PSVR 2 will no doubt be a greater success than the first one as VR in general now appeals to a larger audience than five years ago. A part of the PCVR market will also turn to PS5/PSVR 2 for affordable mid/high-end VR. A PS5 Pro can keep PSVR 2 relevant 2-3 years from now.
@get2sammyb Have you or any colleagues/sources heard when the new CFI-1200 models should be available in the US?
A detachable disc drive sounds horrible to me. Just more clutter. I was able to finally procure a PS5 last year though so unless it breaks, I'm good until the PS6.
This feels like the slowest start to a new generation ever. Bunch of remakes and stuff that's not much more than a slightly prettier PS4 game.
Really hope the console actually being on shelves means it starts getting more support.
@Smiffy01 I'm struggling to think why on earth anyone would need or want a PS5 pro. I've had my ps5 since launch and while it's cool I have no idea how I'd even sell that to someone on the fence. The controller is cool when devs can be bothered to implement its features and it has a couple of games you can't play elsewhere? Again, I like it but I'm a big nerd. Even then it's mostly a glorified PS4 player. It's basically more of a nice that you've got it type thing than a necessity which isn't really a great thing for a console two years into its life.
This is great news for newcomers! I'll be waiting for the inevitable PS5 Pro though, my launch PS5 is still performing very nicely.
There's like 0% chance this will happen, only the DS did more than 30m, not even the switch during the pandemic surpassed 28m.
And they just upped their price in many countries, of course ps fans demand is still yet to be satisfied but 30m? that would break records, and i think this is a rumour that has no grounds.
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