The launch of the PlayStation 5 in terms of sales puts it on par with the launch of the PlayStation 4 -- 4.5 million units in the launch quarter. Though with production delays and increased demand that figure could very easily have been a lot higher if more stock was available. As of now PlayStation 5 consoles are selling as fast as they can reach shelves. Well, they're selling out before that bit actually happens.

Interestingly though, as per the latest financial report from Sony -- each PlayStation 5 is currently being sold at a loss. Meaning that the price point of $749 AUD is below the manufacturing cost. As per the report this was the "strategic price point for PS5 hardware set lower than the manufacturing costs". This is also in-line with how new console launches traditionally go -- hardware sold at a loss with the shortfall made up by software.

For those lucky enough to have a PS5 connected to their 4K TV it's not hard to see that value. High-end visuals powered by AMD technology across the CPU and GPU, cutting edge SSD storage, and a groundbreaking new controller in the form of the DualSense. As per our launch review of the PlayStation 5:

The Zen 2 CPU architecture found here is several generations more impressive that the base-PS4 processor. Something that also applies to the RDNA graphics which will bring ray-tracing to consoles for the very first time. Something seen in Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Now, the issue with stock isn't directly related to the consoles being sold at a loss -- as 2020 has seen shortages across all new game-related hardware from AMD's new Ryzen CPUs and Radeon graphics for PC to NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 30 series line-up. More stock is coming, but for the foreseeable future it seems that all PS5 consoles will be sold at a loss.