The PS5 has been so popular that shoppers are still waiting six months after its release for the PS5 to be restocked, but there may be big changes ahead that are worth the wait.

According to DigiTimes, semiconductor manufacturer TSMC plans to produce a redesigned PS5 at some point in Q2 and Q3 of 2022. And it could offer significantly more power.

Given that the current PS5 is less than a year old, the idea of a redesigned PS5 might seem a bit premature. However, Sony CFO Hiroki Toki suggested

that challenges related to inventory shortages and semiconductor supply could be overcome by designing electronic products and finding other supply chain resources.

It is unclear whether Tutoki is referring here to the PS5, other electronics, or both. However, when combined with DigiTimes' supply chain sources, the idea that the PS5 will be redesigned does not seem far-fetched.

According to DigiTimes' sources, a redesigned PS5 could feature new silicon with AMD's "new semi-customized" CPU manufactured on a 6-nanometer process node, while the current PS5 may feature a 7nm custom octa-core AMD Zen 2 processor.

The transition from 7nm to 6nm could allow the PS5 to improve performance and use power more efficiently. In effect, we could be looking at a PS5 Pro; the PS4 Pro launched after the PS4, three years after its November 2013 launch.

Indeed, if it launches in late 2022, the launch of the PS5 and the "Pro" version would be only two years apart. However, a shortage of semiconductors has made the current PS5 and its Digital Edition difficult to obtain, and Sony may be able to avoid that shortage by moving to a console built around a different processor manufacturing node. This assumes that the yield of 6nm chips is strong enough to meet future demand.

We have no way to confirm DigiTimes' sources, but that doesn't stop our brains from imagining what we might want from the PS5 Pro. One of them is a more compact and ...... Not too ...... less impressive design, and perhaps one that would integrate better with existing entertainment units.

More power and more SSD storage space would also be desirable, as the PS5's 825GB of ultra-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD storage is not much room for the latest games and their large install sizes.

Nevertheless, we are only witnessing the power of the PS5 in its proper form as it actually shows what a game built specifically for a single platform like "Returnal" can look like and deliver.

Therefore, there is likely to be much more to come before we get our hands on an upgraded PS5. Time will tell if this supply chain leak will bring us a new console in about 18 months.