This strategy is said to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."
Sony has apparently opted to create more PlayStation 4s than it had intended to assist "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem" in order to deal with the ongoing global PlayStation 5 scarcity.
According to Bloomberg, Sony has told assembly partners that it wants to continue producing PS4s until 2022, despite plans to "discontinue assembly at the end of 2021."
This method would add around one million PS4s to compensate for the fact that it is unable to build enough PS5s due to the global chip scarcity that is affecting so many aspects of the tech industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic's issues.
The decision was made because "the older system employs less modern chips, is simpler to produce, and gives a budget-friendly alternative to the PS5", according to the press release.
This tactic is intended to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem," according to a Sony official who requested anonymity.
Furthermore, expanding PS4 system production appears to allow Sony "greater leeway when negotiating a better bargain with manufacturing partners."
According to Bloomberg, Sony has confirmed that PS4 production would continue until 2022, but it has also denied that it plans to stop making its prior console.
"It's one of the best-selling consoles ever," a Sony official stated, "and there's usually crossover between generations."