Sony to limit PlayStation 5 launch stock to 5-6m due to higher MSRP

Due to higher costs, Sony expects to sell less PlayStation 5 units at launch. As a result, Sony will restrict PS5 supply in an effort to test demand, sources tell Bloomberg.

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According to Bloomberg, Sony will manufacture and ship 5-6 million PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide from launch until the fiscal year's end in March 2021. Higher production costs have raised the overall system's MSRP, and Sony isn't yet confident consumers will bite. Some internal estimates price the PS5 as high as $549.

Sony's production numbers align with analyst predictions of 6 million PS5 system sales in the same period. Conversely, the PlayStation 4 managed to sell 7.5 million consoles from launch in its five-month launch period. If Sony only makes 5 million PS5s available, the console will sell 50% less than the PS4 did at launch.

If Sony ships 6 million PS5s, the next-gen console will have sold 25% less than the PS4 in the period.

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Read Also: PlayStation 5 specs officially confirmed

Sony's PlayStation 5 console should be priced as premium enthusiast-grade hardware. Projections pinpoint the system at a $499 MSRP due to the specs involved, which include a high-end 7nm AMD SoC with an 8-core 3.5GHz Zen 2 CPU, a Navi RDNA 2 GPU clocked at 2.23GHz, 16GB of GDDR6 memory, and an ultra-fast 825GB SSD that hits 5.5GB/sec speeds. Sony has adjusted its internal sales projections to reflect the higher price.

The console's price tag is driven up by more expensive components. Sony and Microsoft are spending an estimated $250 on just the GDDR6 memory and PCIe 4.0 SSD flash storage alone, which could be roughly half of each system's respective consumer price tag. The PS5's SSD is also heavily customized with special additions like a 12-channel memory controller and I/O block decompression.

The PlayStation 5 costs roughly $450 to manufacture.

The PS5 will also use a more robust cooling solution, one that the system architect promised would make fans "quite happy."

As of right now, sources say COVID-19 has yet to interrupt PS5 production. But that could change as work-from-home orders are interrupting high-level corporate decision making and marketing plans for the next-gen console.

Sony is expected to reveal the PlayStation 5's internals and overall hardware in a deep-dive teardown in the coming months.

Check below for more info on everything we know about the PlayStation 5 so far:

PlayStation 5 specs and details:

• Custom SoC with second-gen Navi GPU, Zen 2 CPU
• 8-Core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHz
• Navi 2X GPU with 36 CUs on RDNA 2 at 2.23GHz
• Ultra-fast 825GB SSD with up to 9GB/sec speeds
• Support for 4K 120 Hz TVs
• Ray-tracing enabled
• 8K output support (for gaming)
• Plays PS4 games, BC is on a title-to-title basis
• Separate games that ship on BD-XL Blu-ray discs
• New controller with extensive haptic and tactile feedback

PlayStation 5 Coverage:

• Sony's PS5 talk wasn't enough--for next-gen, seeing is believing
• Only PlayStation 5 next-gen exclusives will tap SSD's full potential
• PlayStation 5 may play thousands of PS4 games at launch
• PS5's boost mode is so powerful that some PS4 games can't handle it
• PS5 won't play PS1, PS2 or PS3 discs, 100 PS4 games supported at launch
• Understanding the PS5's SSD: A deep dive into next-gen storage tech
• PlayStation 5 won't use memory cards, supports third-party SSDs
• PlayStation 5 specs: 10TFLOPs Navi RDNA 2 2.23GHz GPU, 3.5GH Zen 2 CPU
• PlayStation 5 SSD speeds hit 9GB/sec with custom 12-channel controller
• PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X ray tracing is easily scalable for devs
• Report: PlayStation 5 Pro and base PlayStation 5 coming in 2020
• 60FPS on next-gen PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X 'is much easier'
• PlayStation 5 specs confirmed by Sony: 10TFLOPs Navi RDNA 2 2.23GHz GPU, 3.5GH Zen 2 CPU
• PlayStation 5 could use Samsung's 980 QVO SSDs
• PlayStation 5 is beating Xbox Series X in dev kit form right now
• Hardly any devs are making next-gen PS5, Xbox Series X games
• Sony working on new horror IP for PlayStation 5
• PlayStation 5 devkit UI possibly leaked
• Leaked PlayStation 5 concepts show weird X-shaped case
• Sony's first-party PS4 exclusives are coming to PC
• PlayStation 5's new DualShock 5 may be usable on PS4
• Sony skips E3 2020, has two major events planned for February
• Next-gen console exclusives will be few and far between through 2021
• PlayStation 5's biggest features have yet to be announced, Sony says
• PS4 has sold over 1 billion games and 106 million consoles
• PlayStation 5 backward compatibility should support every PS4 game
• Sony reveals the PlayStation 5...logo
• New trapezoidal PS5 render is an expensive accident waiting to happen
• A $399 PlayStation 5 will conquer next-gen
• PlayStation 5 to outsell Xbox Series X in 2020, analyst predicts
• PS5 may only enhance PS4 games, legacy PS1, PS2 and PS3 games unlikely
• PlayStation 5 prototype dev kit console gets V-shaped clean
• Sony: The future is coming at CES 2020
• PlayStation 5 GPU: 9.2 TFLOPs with 36 custom Navi compute units
• PlayStation 5 GPU emulates PS4, PS4 Pro with special modes
• PS5, Xbox Series X SSD may use software-defined flash to boost speeds
• PS5's SSD is 'exceptionally powerful,' may beat Xbox Series X speeds
• DualShock 5 renders show new trigger design, USB-C, ergonomic shell
• PlayStation 5 to support 8K gaming, Sony confirms
• New PlayStation 5 renders show off radical different design, again
• Leaked PlayStation 5 ad prices console at $1,000, is totally fake
• Sony seeks a new Head of Strategy for Worldwide Studios
• Leaked PlayStation 5 devkit photos show new DualShock controller
• PS5, Xbox Scarlett SSD may use Optane-like ReRAM to supercharge speeds
• NVIDIA G-Sync monitors to improve PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett
• PlayStation 5: Everything We Know So Far
• PlayStation 5 confirmed to have 8C/16T Zen 2 CPU from AMD
• PS5, Project Scarlett may use Samsung's 6th gen V-NAND NVMe SSDs
• PS5 backward compatibility confirmed, will play PS4 games
• Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 has 4K 120Hz output support
• PS5, Project Scarlett to hit over 10TFLOPs of power, sources say
• PS4 will be supported into 2022, to live alongside PS5
• Sony: ultra-high-speed SSD is 'the key' to next-gen PS5
• PS5 dev kit rumor: 'ultra-fast RAM', Navi GPU with 13 TFLOPs
• PlayStation 5 rumored to ship with 2TB of super-fast SSD for $499
• Insider: PlayStation 5 dev kit faster than Xbox Scarlett right now
• PS5 cartridges aren't real, patents are for Sony kids toys
• PS5's SSD may benefit PS4 games the most
• PS5 powered by Navi in 2020, AMD making Navi with Sony input
• Cloud-powered PlayStation controller may let you play free game demos
• Gran Turismo 7 is a PlayStation 5 launch title: launches Nov 20, 2020
• PS5 confirmed to support 8K video, ray tracing, all on Navi
• PlayStation 5 rumored to cost $499, launches November 20, 2020
• PlayStation game demos are coming back with Sony's ambitious new plan
• PS5 controller: Built-in mic, USB-C, no lightbar, ergonomic design
• PlayStation 5 concept video shows totally new design
• Sony solves PS5's biggest issue
• Sony: PS5 development going according to plan
• New Viking Assassin's Creed may be next-gen console launch game
• AMD working on 'secret sauce' for next-gen Xbox/PlayStation
• The first real photo of a PlayStation 5 dev kit appears
• Next-gen PS5/Xbox Scarlett open-world game: 'best real-time graphics'
• Sony restructures workforce to prepare for PS5
• PlayStation VR 2: built-in cameras, wireless, ready for PS5
• PS5 games will ship on 100GB Blu-ray BDXL discs
• PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will both handle ray tracing differently
• PlayStation 5 could feature AI-powered 'PlayStation Assist'
• Sony won't abandon singleplayer story-driven games on PS5
• PS5 rumor: GPU is nearly as powerful as RTX 2080, GPU clocked at 2GHz
• PlayStation 5 rumored to be unveiled on February 12, 2020
• Sony to raise PS5 cost thanks to U.S. tariffs