Sony to cut PlayStation 5 production amid shortages and other issues: Report

Component shortages have forced Sony's hand

It is going to get tougher to get your hands on a PlayStation 5. The console has already been hard to come by since launch, with shortages and logistical issues curbing Sony's ability to have the system in stock.

Now it looks like its going to get worse. A report by Bloomberg says that Sony has reduced production estimates of the console for this fiscal year. Sources told the publication that Sony had initially forecasted production for 16 million units for the year ending March but it has now cut that down to 15 million, just shy of its 14.8 million goal for March.

The main issue that seems to be effecting availability is the slow rollout of the vaccine for COVID-19 in developing countries. This has made it difficult to gauge the supply of components needed for production. Sony's sales partners have reportedly said that it will be difficult for the Japanese gaming giant to keep the system in stock till this fiscal year.

Sony isn't the only console manufacturer going through this. In an interview with The Wrap, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that he expects the shortages to continue in 2022 and that it will be tough challenge to overcome for quite a while.

"When I think about, what does it mean to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is, there are multiple kind of pinch points in that process," said Spencer.

"And I think regretfully it's going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year," he added.