Sony does not expect its PlayStation 4 console to be readily available on store shelves until April, PlayStation UK managing director Fergal Gara has told MCV.

The PS4 launched back in November but has remained in limited supply ever since.

"I can't work it out precisely. But based on what I've seen so far, I think it is going to be tricky until around about April," said Gara. "You might get a fortnight or a week here or there where it is more available, but we should be back to free supply by about April."

He added: "That's our best guess. It might be a little earlier than that, or it might be a little later. But we'll get there."

The success of the PS4 has exceeded even Sony's high expectations, says Gara.

"PS4 pre-orders ... were so big that we were pinching ourselves and wondering if people were pre-ordering in more than one place, and if some of these pre-orders were real.

"We were getting numbers we never imagined, let alone seen before. But it proved to be real. How do I reconcile that? I think the world has changed since we launched PS3."

He concluded: "It's been a pleasant surprise."

As of February 8 Sony had sold 5.3 million PS4 consoles.

Source: MCV