PS5 Sold 1,000 Units Per Minute In First Fiscal Year, Fixing Supply Issues A "Top Priority" For Sony

The PS5 has been difficult to find, due in part to demand exceeding supply and ongoing component shortages. But just how fast is the system selling? Sony said as part of its latest business briefing that the PS5 sold about 1,000 units per minute in the US. Sony is seeing "unprecedented demand" for the PS5, it said.

US retailers sold nearly 1,000 PS5 units per minute for the end of the console's first fiscal year. For comparison, the PS4 sold about 6 units per minute over the same stage of its lifecycle. Sony said these numbers cover three different "leading US retailer events." It's not immediately clear what that means, but in any event, the PS5 had a huge start and is, obviously, a very in-demand platform.

As anyone who has tried to purchase a PS5 understands, the system is hard to find, due in part to supplier sourcing issues and factors like "logistical negotiations" for the delivery of systems, Sony said. Sony also stated that Russia's war against Ukraine is impacting PS5 supply issues.

The PS4 is currently outselling the PS5 over the same period of time after launch, but Sony is projecting that the PS5's third year in the market will be when the newer system closes the gap, with PS5 sales in Year 4 finally overtaking the PS4.

Sony also revealed that the PS5 is doing particularly well in China, where it's sold 670,000 units in 72 weeks, compared to PS4 reaching 250,000 units after its first 72 weeks. The average spending per user in China for the PS5 was $223.34, compared to $69.81 for the PS4 over its first 72 weeks. You can see more statistics in the graphic below.

Sony has sold more than 19 million PS5s so far, and the company is projecting to sell 18 million more in this fiscal year alone. Reading between the lines, it appears the PS5 may soon be easier to find.

For more from Sony's latest investor briefing, check out the stories below.

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