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Because of the current ongoing global semiconductor chip shortage, Sony is struggling to produce enough PS5 console units to meet demand. Scalpers have been buying up any stock that does become available and are reselling them at exorbitant prices online. This was especially prevalent late last year when the PS5 first released, when scalper prices reached as high as $1000+ for a single unit – more than double the consoles’ actual retail price.

When the global lockdown hit last year, all major industries around the world came to an abrupt halt. This includes mining and manufacturing, both of which are crucial in making the silicon chips that are the heart of any device that’s smarter than a pocket watch. Many of these factories had to temporarily halt production and this in turn had a negative cascading effect on the product chain. Despite resuming operations, the global manufacturing industries still haven’t fully recovered from the standstill of 2019.

The ongoing shortage of chips isn’t just for PS5 consoles. All electronics manufacturers worldwide have been affected by the supply constraints. Everything from graphics cards and processors used in computers to the electric brain chips used in smart cars have suffered a supply shortage. It is estimated that these shortages will probably last until 2022 at the earliest.

This may be slowly starting to turn around, however. While still far above their actual price, eBay listings for the PS5 have dropped by a noticeable amount even within the last few months. With more regular restocks for online stores and fewer people buying from scalpers, online prices for the console may start to come down to more reasonable levels.

The PS5 has already proven to be the most popular console Sony has ever released. Despite not being able to produce as many consoles as they wanted, Sony still managed to sell more than 10 million units in less than 9 months - making the PS5 the most popular PlayStation console yet. Despite scalpers and resellers gouging up a large part of each restock at major retailers, there’s no doubt that millions of happy gamers own the console by now.

Sony recently revealed in a conference call that they expect PS5 supply shortages to last into 2022, and also have stated that customers can expect slightly better supply in the second half of 2021. With mega hits like God of War and Horizon Forbidden West right around the corner, we can expect Sony to try to have as much supply available as they can for its playerbase.

About the author: Maldivian Gaming League is a team of e-sports organizers and competition promoters based in the Maldives. For more information, check them out on Facebook or Instagram.