PlayStation 5 Shortages Will Continue Into 2023, Says Intel Boss

How have we all fared in the race to get a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S before Christmas? If you’re anything like me, not very well. The PS5 is said to be the most sought-after gift this festive season, but with shortages continuing, thanks to a combination of supply issues and scalpers, there’s probably still going to be quite a few disappointed people come Christmas morning. 

Unfortunately, that might not even be any better by next Christmas, either. According to Pat Gelsinger, head of Intel, the global chip shortage could continue into 2023, affecting stocks of the new-gen consoles. While speaking in Malaysia, as Intel announced an expansion to its back-end manufacturing, he explained that the pandemic has been the main issue, disrupting the supply chains last year.

Earlier this year, Takeshi Kamebuchi, the director in charge of semiconductors at Toshiba, warned that the shortage of chips would probably last until at least September next year, so it’s worrying that seems to be extending even further into the future. The fact that the consoles could be three years into their lifecycle by the time people can readily get their hands on them is also far from ideal - it makes you wonder if we’ll see a longer gap than usual between them and the next generation of consoles because of it. 

Of course, as well as supplies being thin on the ground, scalpers and scammers continue to be a massive problem when it comes to regular consumers managing to bag themselves a new-gen console at a normal retail price. Just this week though, one scammer was sued after earning $500K through “selling” consoles that she didn’t even own, or attempt to send. So, at least that’s some justice in the world.