PlayStation 5 production reportedly doubled as demand for gaming surges during coronavirus lockdowns

• When Sony's PlayStation 5 arrives this holiday, it may be in far greater numbers than previously expected.
• Sony has reportedly doubled production for its next-gen console to match stronger-than-expected demand for video games during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Bloomberg report.
• That reported increased amounts to 10 million PlayStation 5 consoles before March 2021.

Sony is doubling production of its upcoming PlayStation 5 console, according to a new Bloomberg report.

The Japanese electronics giant is expected to produce 10 million PlayStation 5 consoles by March 2021, a 100% increase over previously reported production numbers. That increase is said to be a measure of heightened consumer demand for video games as the coronavirus pandemic keeps people around the world stuck indoors.

It's unclear if production facilities will be able to fulfill Sony's request.

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According to the report, production of Sony's next-gen PlayStation console began in June.

Sony has yet to announced the PlayStation 5's release date or price. The console was first unveiled in mid June.

It comes in two versions: There's a "standard" PlayStation 5, with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, and a "Digital Edition" without a disc drive, the company said in a press release.

Design-wise, the two PS5 consoles are very similar.

As seen above, the digital edition is symmetrical, while the standard edition has a bump where the disc drive is located.

It's unclear what the price difference will be between the two versions, but the functional difference is evident: The "digital model" is unable to read discs, while the standard model can. In practice, that means that the Digital Edition is only able to play downloaded ("digital") games.

Sony representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

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