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Sony to keep producing PS4 consoles as it deals with PS5 shortage, report says

The PS5 has been in short supply since its debut in November 2020.

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Sony PlayStation Pro 4

More than 116 million PS4s have been sold since the console's debut in 2013.

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Sony will reportedly continue manufacturing PlayStation 4 consoles throughout the year as supply chain issues have led to shortages of the PlayStation 5.

Though the Japan-based electronics company hasn't made a public announcement, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that Sony had originally planned to discontinue the earlier model at the close of 2021. 

Instead, its factories will now reportedly churn out another million PS4 consoles, alleviating some of the pressure in its dealings with production partners. The PS4, which arrived in 2013, is cheaper, easier to produce and uses less advanced chips, Bloomberg reported. 

Worldwide, more than 116 million PS4s have been sold since the console's debut, according to Statista, compared with the 13.4 million PS5 consoles sold since that model arrived in November 2020.

Demand for the newer console remains high. In May, Sony reportedly told investors it wouldn't be able to meet customer demand even if it could overcome COVID-related holdups and ship more units.

Sony didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.