PlayStation 5 sale in India to start from mid-Jan

It’s good news for PlayStation lovers in India as Sony plans to launch the PlayStation 5 (PS5) in the country by mid of next month. Priced at Rs 49,990 and Rs 39,990 for the digital avatar, Sony is expected to take pre-orders for its latest console starting end of December. Many Sony stores across the country have confirmed this news and a few have already started taking pre-orders for the PS5, but there has been no official statement from Sony regarding the same.

There are a few catches here, which need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, the new consoles will initially be available only across the metros and buyers in other regions might have to wait for an additional two weeks to get their hands on a unit. Also, Sony stores have confirmed that stocks across stores will be limited, so potential customers might want to pre-order their units, lest stocks run out.

This will not be a one-off phenomenon, as customers have witnessed similar situations earlier, when stocks of PS3 and PS4 dried out post their respective launches. However, in the past Sony has been prudent enough to restock PS4 and PS4 Pro units, but it wasn’t in tandem with the massive demand witnessed. Adding to this would be the COVID-19 factor, which can certainly be expected to disrupt supplies. Considering the above scenario, pre-ordering would make the most sense for gamers.

That is not the only issue with the PS5’s availability. Sony has witnessed lower-than-expected demand for the digital editions for the PS4 and similar is the case for the PS5, hence customers planning to opt for the digital version might have to wait longer than the others to grab one.

Sony India employees are currently undergoing PS5 training and the company intends to change its current PS5 messaging by December end. This is probably because Sony has been infamous for going back on their words regarding pre-order dates and final launches. Hopefully, customers would eventually benefit from Sony’s smart catch-up initiatives.