Sony is seeing “very considerable” demand for its PlayStation 5 (PS5) console via pre-orders, its gaming chief said, as the technology firm targets pole position in the race to tap the growth of gaming globally with the device’s 12 November launch.

Sony pre-sold as many PS5 consoles in the first 12 hours in the US as in the first 12 weeks for its predecessor PlayStation 4 device, Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in an interview. “The demand as expressed by the level of pre-order has been very, very considerable.”

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Sony sold more than 100 million PS4 units and aims to persuade its user base to upgrade to the new device to play titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales with enhanced graphics, sound and feedback via a new controller.

The PS5 launch comes in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that has boosted gaming companies but also disrupted retail networks, games development and manufacturing supply chains around the world.

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“It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one,” said Ryan, adding the company is “working as hard as we ever can” to ensure supply for the year-end shopping season.

Sony is expected to report growing quarterly gaming profit on Thursday as PS4 users shift to higher-margin downloads, with the PS5 forecast to be the first next-generation device not to push the gaming division to an annual loss in its launch year

TechCentral

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