It’s hard to say whether fans will want to buy the PS5 or Xbox Series X in greater numbers, but the supply chain appears to be relying on the PS5. Currently, electronics manufacturers in Taiwan estimate that Sony aims to produce 120 million PS5s in the next five years. If that’s true, Sony expects the PS5 to sell even better than the PS4, which has sold 110 million units over the course of seven years.
The information comes from Digitimes, a Taiwanese publication that focuses on the business of electronic supply chains. Digitimes cites “sources of [Sony’s] backend supply chain in Taiwan, “which is certainly a bit vague. But considering that the post is extremely strict and fact-oriented, the report is worth taking seriously.
There are two important components to the report. The first is that Sony plans to produce 120 million PS5 units in the next five years. The second is that, according to the same sources, Microsoft plans to produce around 60 million Xbox Series X units in the same time period.
There’s a lot to unpack there, so let’s start with the “120 million PS5” suggestion. First, Digitimes reports that Sony intends to ship 10 million PS5s in 2020, meaning it will have to ship an average of 27.5 million PS5s each subsequent year until 2025 to reach the 120 million figure. This may not be a realistic number, as the PS4 has sold fewer units than that for a longer period of time. On the other hand, perhaps the PS5 will offer an experience that targets a broader demographic than traditional console gamers. Until the console launches, it will be hard to tell, and even then Sony could add any number of features designed to attract new customers after the fact.
There is also an idea that Sony intends to ship twice as many units as Microsoft in the same time period. Using Xbox One and PS4 sales as a template, this is by no means an unrealistic figure. The Xbox One has sold 50 million units in about the same time period that it took the PS4 to sell 110 million, so the “two PlayStations for one Xbox” model may hold true in the future. Additionally, Microsoft has demonstrated its willingness to build its ecosystem, perhaps even prioritizing cross-platform compatibility over the sale of Xbox Series X consoles.
In any case, these are just initial reports, and a lot could change between now and 2025. But assuming they’re accurate, both Sony and Microsoft intend to sell more consoles than before, and in a shorter period of time, to boot. . That could be a risky strategy with mobile games and cloud games on the rise, but people also thought that console games were on the decline when the PS4 and Xbox One were released. As always, the market wants what wants the market.
