Sony India is planning to announce the PS5 India launch for January 2021. The company’s stance on a possible PS5 January 2021 release date has been to tell us to stay tuned to its social media channels for a potential announcement. However, readers of The Mako Reactor have been told by Sony Centers — Sony’s own franchised stores, that they can expect pre-orders to go live before the end of December with the console launching mid-January. Some of them have been taking pre-order payments up front as well. Odd considering that Sony hasn’t allowed any store to start taking pre-orders yet.
We reached out to multiple Sony Centers across the country — Goa, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Raipur among others, and we were met with a similar response: a January release window with pre-orders before the end of December. According to the store managers we spoke to, Sony India has told them that these plans will be revealed officially soon.
What’s more is, if you were planning to buy the PS5 offline, you may be out of luck depending on your location. Every Sony Center we spoke to claimed that supply will be limited to metro cities first with other areas getting it about two weeks later. This was the case with both the PS3 and PS4 as well, suggesting that the PS5 will be in limited quantities when it’s eventually available at launch. In addition to this, the PS5 Digital Edition will be harder to find in part due to global supply constraints as well as anticipated lower demand at launch we were told.
While we were able to independently verify this specific claim of low PS5 day one quantities previously, it will be interesting to see when India gets a PS5 restock and if it will be available nationwide. If we go by Sony’s track record with the PS4 and PS4 Pro, along with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic don’t expect routine restocks. What this means is: if you want a PS5 officially with warranty, it would be wise to pre-order the moment you can. That said, if the company is able to handle demand like it did with Ghost of Tsushima, which was restocked within a week of launch you may not have to rush.
Now, Sony Centers have a spotty track record. In the past they claimed that pre-orders for the PS5 would begin in November which never happened. However with Sony India employees undergoing PS5 training and plans to change its current PS5 messaging from late 2020, it seems that we may not have to wait too long for an actual PS5 release date.
For what it’s worth, the PS5 India price is Rs. 49,990 and the PS5 digital edition is Rs. 39,990. Sony also confirmed that PS5 games will cost Rs. 3,999 upwards. It remains to be seen whether these prices will remain stable once the initial lot is sold out.
