Sony's bizarre solution to console shortages is to make more PlayStation 4s

A new year is upon us and with the likes of Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 and God of War: Ragnarok all scheduled to launch in 2022, many people are still scrambling to get their hands on a PlayStation 5. Well, it seems Sony has found an alternative solution to combat stock shortages.

As reported by Bloomberg, Sony is looking to solve the issue by continuing to produce PlayStation 4 consoles throughout 2022. It's believed that the Japanese games maker would cease making PS4 machines at the end of 2021, however, will now look to increase its output by adding another million console units to help satisfy consumer demand for its products.

Specifically, a Sony official (who was not authorised to speak publicly) confirmed that it is seen as "a means to fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem". It's an interesting, if not bizarre move, considering over 116 million PS4 units have been purchased already.

"It is one of the best-selling consoles ever and there is always crossover between generations,” a spokesperson for Sony told Bloomberg. 

It's worth noting that a number of Sony's biggest games for the year will also arrive on PS4, such as Horizon and God of War. That said, it's yet to be seen just how well these next-gen games will run on the older model, with Horizon being the first real test in February since Spider-Man: Miles Morales launched in December 2020, less than a month after the PS5 launched. 

As of Sony's latest financial figures, the PS5 has achieved 13.4 million sales and no doubt has a long way to go to catch up to its predecessor. Clearly, the company is attempting to replicate its major PS4 success, after going out of its way to heavily restock retailers over the Christmas period. We'll have to wait and see whether this continues over the coming months. 

To keep up with the latest restocks, head on over to the official T3 PS5 restock tracker for the latest details.