Sony & Facebook Double Gaming Production To Meet Surging Demand

Sony is reportedly doubling the production of its upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) gaming console to 10 million, with 5 million units due in October and a further 5 million by the end of the year.

According to Bloomberg, Sony is doubling production as it expects the COVID-19 pandemic to boost demand for gaming: “Even with a boost to manufacturing, Sony may still be unable to put enough units on store shelves in the coming year-end holiday season due to shipping constraints, the people said.”

Previously, Sony had planned to produce 5-6 million PS5 console units and 10 million DualSense controllers by end-March 2021, according to Nikkei. Production of the new DualSense controllers is likely being increased in line with the gaming console.

Mass production of the PS5 reportedly commenced in June.

PS5 DualSense controller

Facebook, meanwhile, is also ramping up the production of its VR headset Oculus Rift to meet this heightened demand for gaming products. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Facebook is aiming to achieve 50% growth in 2020, boosting production to 2 million VR headset units.

Currently, the Oculus site says that they are out of stock of the Oculus Quest headset. The Oculus Rift S headset, which is Oculus’s top-of-the-line product, costs A$649.

Facebook reportedly has approximately 35% of the global VR market.