In brief: Sony has denied reports that it will be producing four million fewer PlayStation 5 units at launch than originally planned, leading to speculation that the next-gen consoles would face shortages upon release.

Bloomberg yesterday reported that Sony was cutting its estimated initial production run for the PS5 by four million units to around 11 million by the end of March. The company had reportedly been looking to produce 10 million units in 2020 alone---a result of the gaming industry boom caused by the coronavirus---but the publication's insider sources claimed problems with SoC production had scuppered these plans.

Bloomberg wrote that production yields for the chip, designed alongside AMD, were as low as 50 percent at one point, cutting the number of usable parts by half. And while those yields were said to be improving, they were still "yet to reach a stable level."

Most companies like to push the "we don't respond to rumor or speculation" line when it comes to reports like these. Sony, however, has responded directly to this one---possibly due to the threat to its stock price, which fell by 3.5 percent following the news.

"While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false," Sony told GamesIndustry.biz. "We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production."

Sony still hasn't confirmed the price or release date of the PS5, but that's likely to change today when its "PlayStation 5 showcase" livestream takes place at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET. We've heard the main console could be as low as $459 or, if a Spanish retail outlet is to be believed, as high as $594, while the discless version could be anything from $399 to $475. The Xbox Series X, for comparison, will be $499, and the all-digital Series S is $299.