More than four months after the release of the next-generation consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are still very difficult to find, and it doesn’t seem like inventory issues are going to clear up any time soon. The global semiconductor shortage impacting manufacturing of electronics—including those coveted next-gen consoles and lack of PS5 stock at many retailers—has been steadily getting worse and is reaching what one tech analyst is calling “crisis” levels.
In an article by The Guardian, Neil Campling, a media and tech analyst at Mirabaud is quoted as saying, “Chips are everything,” says Neil Campling, media and tech analyst at Mirabaud. “There is a perfect storm of supply and demand factors going on here. But basically, there is a new level of demand that can’t be kept up with, everyone is in crisis and it is getting worse.”
The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are far from the only devices impacted by the shortages. Car TV, and phone manufacturers also use these same semiconductors and computer chips, and companies like Ford, Apple, Samsung, Nissan, and GM join the likes of Sony and Microsoft in having to adjust inventory and manufacturing—and even release dates—based on the shortages around the world. With demand for electronics on the rise amid the pandemic and shortages keeping inventory low, the global chip shortage crisis doesn’t look set to resolve itself anytime soon.
“There is no sign of supply catching up, or demand decreasing, while prices are rising across the chain,” says Campling. “This will cross over to people in the street. Expect cars to cost more, phones to cost more. This year’s iPhone is not going to be cheaper than last year.”
How this will ultimately impact the future of the PS5 is unknown, but you’ll have to keep paying attention to restock announcements and hope to get lucky if you still haven’t grabbed one for yourself. Retailers aren’t likely to have lasting inventory for a while yet. It’s been previously predicted that PS5 inventory issues could continue throughout the year, and the latest reports seem to support that assessment.
[Source: The Guardian; Via: GameSpot]
