Remember last holiday season when you were looking forward to getting a PS5 or Xbox Series X at some point in 2021? A lot of us thought we might have our new consoles by now, or at least a glimmer of hope. But restocks keep selling out in minutes. But governments have started to take note of the situation both in the US and abroad. In fact, President Joe Biden may investigate the console supply chain issues.
Biden May Sign an Executive Order to Look Into Console Supply Chain Issues
The supply chain issues regarding consoles relate to scalpers in part, as we all know. But it also turns out they have to do with semiconductors. The Washington Post reports, “President Biden will meet Wednesday with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to confront growing concern about a global shortage of semiconductors that is hobbling automakers and other manufacturers and has led to production cutbacks.”
The shortage is impacting the production of next generation consoles. But it also is resulting in supply chain issues impacting the production of everything from cell phones to weapons systems.
Not surprisingly, this reduction in availability of semiconductors is tied to the pandemic. Lobbyists have asked the government to look into the issue. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has stated that Biden plans to sign an executive order in the near future “to undertake a comprehensive review of supply chains for critical goods.”
So, hopefully that order will be signed, and the investigation will commence. Maybe the government will be able to take steps to improve semiconductor supply, and that in turn will boost the production of consoles, other consumer appliances, and more. Until then, you will want to keep checking Sony Direct along with major retailers for restocks. You can also follow our PlayStation news for further updates on the situation with console availability. You may also be interested in reading about a bill in the UK that could make console scalping illegal in that country.