Getting the Console to the Players
Thanks to Covid-19, there’s been a big issue with manufacturing and shipping PlayStation’s newest console. We’ve already written about how players can sign up for the chance to pre-order the console and guarantee they get the PS5 into their hands as soon as possible, but that has its limitations; not everyone who signs up to pre-order will be selected, which means there’ll be a lot of players who don’t get the chance to play the game when it first drops.
Sony are using air freight to ensure that PS5 can meet demand / supply enough units
The company has booked 60 flights from October (Delta 747) to ship consoles to retailers. This supply is expected to last through the quarter
Air freight is faster than sea, but more expensive.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) September 14, 2020
Luckily, a company the size of Sony can eat a couple of costs here and there. They’ve already sold consoles at a loss to increase sales in the past, and if the rumors are true they’re going to be taking a costly shipping option, using air shipping to ensure that more consoles are available in the US.
According to Niko Partner’s Daniel Ahmad, Sony have arranged around sixty flights (or sixty plane’s worth of flights, even he isn’t sure) to get the console to the US and meet retail demand.
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He says that the supply is expected to last through the quarter and, with an unprecedented effort worldwide to find a vaccine for Covid-19, it’s possible that a quarter is all it needs. Further along the thread, he also states that it’s possible that Sony have made deals with other airlines. For one, the flights are only to the US, and it doesn’t say anything about how Sony will meet demand in Europe or Canada, for example.
The information for this being from Delta means that they would not be aware of or communicate Sony's plans with other airlines / sea freight
It's unlikely the above covers all shipments / channels. It's also worth noting that these flights are for the UShttps://t.co/yDNGmVHnq7
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) September 14, 2020
Given that the capacity of a 747 is close to 100,000 pounds, and the rumored weight of the PS5 is around 10 pounds. that means that there could be around ten thousand extra consoles per flight- or six hundred thousand extra consoles in total with Delta alone.
Of course, while the source is credible, this is still a rumor until Sony themselves confirm it. If it is true then Sony are definitely confident about the PS5.
Are you a PS5 fanboy, or team Xbox? Let us know down in the comments.