It’s no secret that the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is making a profound impact on all areas of life, from industry and the economy to everyday activities. Sure enough, it now sounds as if the upcoming PlayStation 5 will now be launching in a reduced capacity and at a potentially higher price as a result of the virus.

This is according to a new report from Bloomberg, which claims Sony has informed its manufacturing partners that it expects to produce around 5 to 6 million PS5 units in the fiscal year ending March 2021. The PS4 7.5 million units in its first two quarters. The report also seems to confirm what we already knew: that Sony had a much more exciting PS5 event planned that was ultimately abandoned “due to infection fears.”

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, even if the news is undeniably a little disappointing. A report published by games industry research firm DFC Intelligence last month warned that there was a strong possibility that the PS5 and Xbox Series X would not be able to launch as planned. The firm wrote in a note that the virus could lead to production issues that resulted in stock shortages or even a later release date.

Both Sony and Microsoft have both recently confirmed their intentions to go ahead with their intended holiday 2020 release dates… but production issues seem to be an unavoidable consequence of coronavirus.

Bloomberg cited multiple sources within Sony who’ve also suggested that the PS5’s price could be higher than expected – in part because of coronavirus, but also as a result of the machine’s previously reported expensive components. We haven’t heard if Microsoft has been impacted in a similiar way with the Xbox Series X.

The current thinking is that the PS5 could now end up launching for anywhere between $499 to $549 (£400 to £440) For comparison, the PS4 sold for $399/£349 at launch. It’s worth noting, however, that changes in currency values mean that the final UK price would almost certainly be more than the straight conversion you see above.

All we can really do right now is wait for Sony to comment on the matter. At the time of writing, the company has yet to respond to Bloomberg. My advice? Hope for the best and plan for the worst. If you’re really wanting a PS5, maybe now is the time to start saving. If it doesn’t end up costing as much as predicted, you’ll have saved some extra money. That’s… something.