Hardware shortages are affecting all kinds of industries worldwide. PC gamers have been particularly hard hit by the parts shortage, which has also affected the console industry. Sony’s latest console, the PlayStation 5, has been notoriously difficult to obtain, and it looks like this situation will not return to normal for some time.

In Sony’s latest financial presentation (spotted by Eurogamer), the company acknowledged supply problems with PS5 sales. The presentation included a slide showing comparative sales of the PS4 and PS5 consoles. While the PS5 outsold the older PS4 in its first year, it lagged behind the following year due to supply constraints. Due to the shortage, Sony has also increased PS4 production, which probably helped.

The graph below shows Sony’s projections for the third year, in which Sony hopes to make up the gap between PS4 and PS5 sales. This means that Sony does not expect the PlayStation 5 to top the company’s console sales again until 2024. This also happens to be the date when Intel’s CEO believes the chip shortage could finally ease.

Both Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have been a continuing obstacle to increasing supply, so Sony’s current strategy is to source from several different suppliers. As the problems holding back Sony’s sales appear to revolve around supply rather than demand, it is logical that the company is doing all it can to fill the gaps.