Sony has confirmed it won't be restocking the PlayStation 5 in Australia this Christmas. Instead, Aussies will have to wait until 2021 to get their hands on a PS5 if they haven't already.
What's going on with the PlayStation 5 in Australia?
This news comes via Australian platform 9 News Australia. According to that channel, COVID-19 has "brought production and shipping" of the PS5 to a halt, and Australians are being warned not to expect new PS5 consoles arriving on their shores until 2021. Sony says it has "fulfilled all stock" to Australia this year and will make more available to the country next year. Australian retailer The Gamesmen says it has been told more stock could be on the way "next month", but beyond that, "we really don't know".
Tech analyst Trevor Long says if Australian gamers haven't already put money down on a PS5 or pre-ordered one in some form, there's pretty much no chance they'll be getting one in 2020. This isn't necessarily the situation around the world, however. Sony has confirmed it will be restocking the PS5 before Christmas in both the UK and the US. Boss Jim Ryan says the company is "making more PS5s in this difficult environment" than it did during the PS4 launch window. He goes on to say that Sony is "working really hard" to increase supply of the product "before and after Christmas".
Has the PlayStation 5 launch been successful?
Staggeringly so. In the United Kingdom, the PlayStation 5 enjoyed that territory's biggest ever console launch, surpassing the previous record set by the PlayStation 4. According to Sony, demand for the PS5 has been "unprecedented", although it hasn't yet provided figures for the console launch.
We want to thank gamers everywhere for making the PS5 launch our biggest console launch ever. Demand for PS5 is unprecedented, so we wanted to confirm that more PS5 inventory will be coming to retailers before the end of the year - please stay in touch with your local retailers.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) November 25, 2020
If you're hoping to get a PlayStation 5 and you live in Australia - or anywhere else in the world right now, for that matter - then you may have to wait until 2021. That said, restocks are due throughout the rest of the year, so you might want to keep your trigger finger primed and refresh those retailer websites on a regular basis, if you live outside of Australia. We'll have more PS5 news for you as soon as we get it.
Did you manage to get a PS5? Are you holding out until next year for one? Let us know in the comments below!
