There were fewer PlayStation 5 consoles sold in the UK in April than Switch, Xbox Series X/S and even PS4 consoles.
The news, as reported byGamesIndustry.biz, further suggests that stock shortages are the major factor affecting next-gen console sales at this early stage in their life cycles.
In all, just over 90,000 consoles were sold throughout April, with theSwitch“comfortably” selling most, followed byXbox Series Xand S.
According to the report, although Switch andPS5are both leading in console sales in the UK in 2021 so far, theXboxSeries consoles are catching up, withMicrosoftable to make stock more frequently available in the region.
Elsewhere in the report,New Pokémon Snapwas the best-selling physical release in the UK in April, despite only being on sale for the last two days. 49.6% of all physical games sold in the UK in April were Switch titles (Nintendodoesn’t share sales data on digital software).
The issue with next-gen systems selling out as soon as they’re restocked looks likely to continue for a while.
The PS5 and Xbox Series consoles have been widely sold out globally since launch, with most restocks selling out in minutes andre-seller groups criticisedfor reportedly exacerbating the shortages.
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Earlier this week,Sonyreportedly told analysts thatit expects PlayStation 5 consoles to be in short supplyuntil next year.
Sony’s comments follow Microsoft’s warnings during its own financial results last month, in which it said itexpects Xbox Series X/S supply issues to continueuntil at least June.
Nintendo presidentShuntaro Furukawaalso confirmed last week that the global shortage of semiconductors ishampering its Switch production efforts.
