The brand-new PS5 console has been in incredible demand since it launched in the US on November 12, 2020. However, those in the UK had to wait until November 19, 2020. According to VGC, sources have claimed that the PS5 has been the UK’s biggest ever console launch.
VGC details that its publishing sources at Sony have said that the PS5 launch has “far exceeded the UK’s previous record holder”, the PS4. When the PS4 launched in 2013, it was reported that it had sold “some 250,000 units in its first 48 hours.” It’s also said that the popular version of the new PlayStation console was the physical disc edition rather than the all-digital.
This is all similar to Microsoft Xbox which saw the Xbox Series X / S launch on November 10, 2020, become the biggest launch for the company in the UK. VGC spoke with publishers who claimed that 155,000 consoles were sold on launch day, beating its previous record in 2013 when the Xbox One console launched and sold 150,000 units.
VGC notes that the figures for both PS5 and Xbox Series X / S could have done far better had more stock been available. Obviously given the pandemic, supply is a complicated matter at the time being, however, more stock is said to be on the way. Sony PlayStation has said more PS5 stock is to be available by the year’s end, while Microsoft has detailed that it expects shortages to continue until April next year.
Official figures have not been shared by Sony Interactive Entertainment, although has said the PS5 had recorded the company’s biggest console launch sales in history, with the PS4 selling 2 million globally and holding the record until official figures are revealed. The company has also said that it expects to sell over 7.6 million PS5 units by the end of its fiscal year.
Irritatingly, scalper groups have been making the most of the limited supply with one group claiming to have obtained over 3,500 PS5 consoles and over 1,000 Xbox Series X consoles and then reselling them for a higher price for profit. The UK also saw deliveries at launch become a mess, with consoles going missing, and eBay listings appearing for extortionate prices. Amazon cut ties with one delivery driver who was caught on CCTV driving away with a PS5 shaped package.
It’ll be interesting to see the official figures from Sony Interactive Entertainment to see just how many units of the console the company has sold. VGC notes that the UK’s biggest launches before the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S were the PS4, PSP, and PS3 at the top, followed by the Xbox One. the Nintendo 3DS, and the Nintendo Wii.
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