Sony have shipped a total of 17.3 million PS5 consoles since launch but hasn't been able to keep up with the PS4 numbers despite the high demand.
PlayStation 5 is selling like hotcakes but due to supply-chain disruptions and component shortages, it's falling behind its predecessor PlayStation 4 which sold more during its first fourteen months than Sony's new console.
Sony confirmed they shipped 3.9 million PlayStation 5 consoles during their fiscal Q3, which brings PlayStation 5's total to 17.3 million shipped units as of the end of 2021.
Despite such a strong sales performance, PlayStation 5 is selling slower than PlayStation 4. Sony managed to ship 20.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles over the same timeframe. Sony said they expect these issues to continue for foreseeable future.
Industry analysts suggest that the chip shortage will continue through 2023 so don't expect supply issues to improve anytime sooner.
Sony also expect lower sales for games and services due to a decrease in PlayStation 5 unit sales. "Sales are expected to be lower than the October forecast due to an expected decrease in PlayStation 5 hardware unit sales, primarily due to shortages in the supply of components, especially semiconductors," they've said.
Sony are not the only major console manufacturer that are struggling with the chip shortage. Their main competitor Microsoft have also found it hard to put the Xbox Series X console on the shelves but despite that, they've managed to reach over 12 million shipped units.
Nintendo on the other hand have been breaking records with their Switch console and regularly outsell both the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
PlayStation 5, Sony's next-gen console unveiled
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