As the PlayStation 5 sees ongoing global stock shortages, Sony makes the wise decision to compound its woes by opening PS5 preorders in China.

The PS5 Is Now Available to Preorder in China

Chinese gamers can look forward to next-gen console gaming arriving on home turf, as Sony has now opened the preorder process for its flagship PlayStation 5 console in China.

The console will be available to buy in China from May 15th, at a price of 3,899 yuan (which equates to a couple dollars over $600) for the standard disc version of the PS5. The digital only version will retail at 3,099 yuan (around the $475 mark).

Why Is the China PS5 Launch So Late?

As you have probably figured out by now, Sony is releasing the PS5 in China a full six months after its US debut. But why has it taken so long?

The reason for the delay is the stringent censorship rules that currently exist in China. It is difficult to release a new device in China at the same time as the rest of the world, because of this. Chinese officials will have been thoroughly checking and testing the PS5 to ensure it complies with their rules.

The PS5 joins the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One with its Chinese release, beating Microsoft to the post in terms of next-gen gaming; the Xbox Series X is yet to see the light of day in China.

Anyway, late or not, at least the PS5 will be available to Chinese gamers in the coming weeks. We say it will be available, but how does Sony plan to get past the current stock shortages?

How Will Sony Fulfill Chinese PS5 Preorders?

What we should ask is how is Sony planning to deliver these pre-ordered devices amidst a global stock shortage? It struggled with demand at launch and has continued to struggle ever since.

OK, so it wasn't really Sony's fault that a global pandemic caused widespread disruption across the entire tech industry, from shortages of semiconductors to logistics issues, but if there are no consoles, how can it possibly fulfill these preorders? This could put an entire community of potential gamers off buying the console.

We have reached out to PlayStation for comment, but received no reply at the time of publication.

Hopefully Sony Doesn't Let Chinese Gamers Down

If Sony has a bunch of inventory set aside for the Chinese release of the PS5, then everything should be fine and it will leave no new gamers disappointed. However, because we are amidst a global console shortage, it is hard to see how that can be the case.

Let's wait until May 15th and see how Chinese gamers are reacting then. Good luck to anyone in China who is looking to preorder their PS5!