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Sony says it's still making new PS4s, but most stores aren't selling them

Sony says it's still making new PS4s, but most stores aren't selling them


While many of us fall somewhere between trying to find a new generation of gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, or trying to find the meaningful gaming experience we once had, Sony tells Bloomberg that It's still manufacturing new PlayStation 4s. According to the report, an internal plan estimates production of the system to end in 2021, but the company will build about a million PS4s in 2022 due to the current shortage, according to sources.

Sony confirmed that PS4 production is still ongoing, providing a quote to Bloomberg that "the system is the best-selling console of all time, and there's always crossover between generations." It fits, because it certainly looks like the PS4 should still be around — there are still new cross-generation games coming out like Horizon Forbidden West, and it's not like you'll only find one on store shelves. You will find one Can find the PS5 sitting down reliably.

The curious thing is that, at least online, we didn't even find many new PlayStation 4 consoles. A check from Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart and Target all showed stores either lacking listings for the PlayStation 4 console or saying they're out of stock on the new system. Only Gamestop had a sign of a new system, but only in-store, and not all of the stores within 500 miles of my location claimed it. If you must have the PS4 Slim right now, Sony will sell it directly to you for the same $299.99 price it's charged since 2017. But you can only get one—as its site notes, “[due] to high demand, consoles are limited to 1 per family.”

Microsoft's Xbox One lineup is in similar shape, if not worse. Ahead of the launch of the Xbox Series consoles, Microsoft told us it would discontinue the Xbox One X and Xbox One S digital editions, while the standard, disc-equipped Xbox One S would continue to be produced. We haven't seen any official updates since, but it looks like several months have passed since someone reported seeing a new Xbox One console on sale anywhere in the US. A Microsoft Store page is still offering the bundle, but we couldn't quite click the button to put one in our digital shopping cart.

Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a question about the manufacturing status of the older system, but for now, the Xbox Series S may be the only easily obtainable gaming system you can get brand new. Different iterations of the Nintendo Switch seem to come and go on retail websites, so it mostly depends on what model you're looking for.

For PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, there are signs that the situation is improving. Retail declines have lasted longer and occur on a more regular basis than usual. At the same time, reseller prices on sites like StockX continue to drop. For PlayStation 5, the most recent peak of sale prices came in early November at $811, while the systems are currently on sale for $638. StockX's selling prices for the Xbox Series X have fallen over the same period from $797 on Nov. 4 to the most recent $570-$580 range.

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