The ongoing global chip shortage that is affecting the manufacturing of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch consoles is set to continue until 2024, according to new comments by the CEO of Intel.
Speaking with CNBC (opens in new tab) as part of an interview on "TechCheck", Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger explained that the worldwide chip shortage is now expected to be prolonged further than the initial 2023 expectation. Now due to the constrained availability of manufacturing tools, the estimate has been pushed back to 2024 before demand is met.
All of the big three in games – Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo – have suffered from supply chain issues at multiple points since the pandemic began. While Nintendo Switch stock, for the most part, is now readily available, the company once again confirmed that it would cut its sales outlook for the second quarter in a row (via Bloomberg (opens in new tab)).
It's worth noting that the Nintendo Switch runs on Nvidia chips, while the PS5 and Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S both utilise chips from AMD.
"That’s part of the reason that we believe the overall semiconductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the shortages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged,” said Gelsinger.
Most notably, the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles have been selling out continuously since launching in November 2020. Over the last couple of months, console availability in the UK has increased (stock being live for anywhere between a few hours to a day from our experience), while parts of the US are still grappling to address the issues. Over the Christmas period, this resulted in Sony hiring three jumbo jets filled with PS5 stock in an attempt to meet consumer demand.
Similarly, PC graphic cards have been in short supply with Nvidia's range frequently selling out within minutes once any new stock has arrives online.
To find out where to find a PlayStation 5 next, head to the official T3 PS5 restock tracker for the latest information. Or alternatively, if you are looking for what to play next, check out the best PS5 games of 2022 so far.
