PlayStation 5 pre-orders in the US took just 12 hours to match 12 weeks' worth of PlayStation 4 pre-orders

SIE CEO Jim Ryan has revealed the extent of the PlayStation 5’s reception with gamers in the United States. Apparently, it only took the next-gen console 12 hours to reach the same number of pre-orders that took the PlayStation 4 console 12 weeks to make during its pre-order sales period. While Ryan only gave details about US pre-orders, it seems reasonable to presume that a similar picture has been painted in regard to global pre-orders. Ryan has previously opined that he expects the PS5 to have reached the seven-million mark in terms of units sold by April 2021.

The games industry analyst Daniel Ahmad has even hazarded a guess at how many PS5 units may have already been pre-ordered. He stated that the PS4 took 10 weeks to hit the one-million mark for worldwide pre-orders, so it may be possible that the same figure has already been surpassed by the next-gen console. However, Ryan has also warned that the high demand for the Sony hardware might cause an issue with supply, saying in an interview with Reuters that “it may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one”.

This potential shortage may have already become reality if a post by @hard8_times is genuine. An image in the tweet shows an email supposedly from an executive for the American retail chain Meijer detailing a PS5 launch delay. The text reads “PS5 release: TBD (was originally 11/12 but there has been a national delay.)". There are a couple of conclusions to opt for before jumping straight to “PS5 is delayed”: This could be a fake post or the delay may only be applicable to Meijer stores, and Sony would have made an official announcement if there was a global PS5 launch delay. However, the incredible pre-order figures do mean that trying to purchase Sony’s next-gen console on November 12 could end up being a Sisyphean task.

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