Want a PS5 for launch? Then you need to order it NOW

Despite two rounds of pre-orders so far, Sony fans are struggling to get their mitts on a PS5.

Even those that managed to get their pre-orders in were faced with disappointing news when retailers began sending out emails telling customers that their orders may be delayed until 2021 – something that's been happening with Xbox Series X pre-orders too. 

While Sony has apologised for the pre-order debacle, and Sony boss Jim Ryan assured fans they'd be able to get a console at launch, the demand has clearly exceeded anything the company expected, and Ryan is now singing a very different tune.

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Talking to Reuters, he described the demand for Sony's next-gen hardware as "very, very considerable", saying that the amount of consoles pre-ordered in the first 12 hours in the US is the same as the number of PS4 units sold in its first 12 weeks on the market. 

“It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one," says Ryan, dropping a bombshell no one wants to hear. He did add that Sony is "working as hard as [it] ever can” to make sure there are enough PS5s on the shelves this holiday season. 

Concerns about shortages go back as far as April,  with reports that Sony had cut production to five to six million units, but the company called those out as false, confirming that the number of units hadn't changed since the console went into mass production. 

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It seems that it underestimated the demand, or perhaps the pandemic had a hand to play in terms of production; with people losing their jobs over the past year, spending up to $499 / £449 / €499. AU$749.95 on a new console at launch isn't necessarily going to be at the top of their list. 

That being said, the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite were almost impossible to get hold of this year, as lockdown saw people looking for ways to entertain themselves while cooped up indoors. 

Whatever the reason, it doesn't change the facts, and if you want to secure a PlayStation 5 for launch, you're going to need to keep tabs on all of the retailers' websites, or show up in person on launch day and get ready to trawl through the shops to find one. 

Our PS5 pre-orders article is the place to go for all the latest PS5 pre-order news.

Source: Reuters