Bottom line: Sony's PlayStation 5 has been "available" for close to three months yet still, many gamers interested in the console have not been able to find one to purchase in stores or online due to an array of issues. And unfortunately, it doesn't sound as if Sony is any closer to meeting demand due to component supply problems.

Sony as part of its latest earnings report warned that it is struggling to meet demand for the red-hot PlayStation 5.

The Japanese gaming giant said they are continuing to do everything in their power to ship as many units as possible to gamers anxiously waiting on the console. At a press briefing, however, Sony Corp. CFO Hiroki Totoki said it is difficult to increase production right now due to a shortage of semiconductors and other needed components.

As reported yesterday, Sony sold 4.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles as of the end of December. Despite the production setbacks, Sony said it is still on track to meet its goal for the fiscal year of more than 7.6 million units sold. Sony's fiscal year ends March 31, 2021.

Sony's PlayStation 5 launched on November 12, 2020, and has been next to impossible to find at retail ever since. A number of factors have played into the shortages, including a sharp rise in the usage of retail bots by scalpers who are buying up inventory and flipping the consoles for huge profits on third-party marketplaces like eBay.

A quick check of the auction site reveals that PS5s are still selling for between $800 and $850, well above the $499 MSRP for the disc-based version of the system.