Sony Corp has cut its estimated Play Station 5 (PS5) production for this fiscal year by 4 million units, down to about 11 million, following production issues with its custom-designed system-on-chip (SOC) for the new console, people familiar with the matter said.
The Tokyo-based electronics giant in July boosted orders with suppliers in anticipation of heightened demand for gaming in the holiday season and beyond, as people spend more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the company has come up against manufacturing issues, such as production yields as low as 50 percent for its SOC, which have cut into its ability to produce as many consoles as it wishes, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous.
Yields have been gradually improving, but have yet to reach a stable level, they added.
Sony shares yesterday erased gains and closed down 2.4 percent in Tokyo trading, their lowest level since July.
A Sony spokesman declined to comment.
Sony’s lowered forecast is only an estimate and could be revised again before the end of the fiscal year in March next year.
Close rival Microsoft Corp last week revealed aggressive pricing for its two next-generation consoles, the US$299 Xbox Series S and US$499 Xbox Series X, putting added pressure on Sony. Pre-orders for the new Xbox models begin on Tuesday next week.
Sony is widely expected to reveal its own launch and pricing plans for the PS5 during an official video presentation scheduled for Wednesday.
Nintendo Co plans an upgraded Switch console, equipped with better components and potentially 4K output, for next year.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
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